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拍品專文
In what is probably one of the first articles identifying Francesco Fanelli as the author of a number of highly individual, small-scale, bronze groups usually incorporating horses, John Pope-Hennessy talked about the study of 17th century Italian bronzes as being a terra incognita (op. cit., p. 166). In the five decades that have passed since writing the article, the study of this field, and especially the appreciation of Fanelli, has multiplied exponentially.
Described in 1639 by Abraham van der Doort as 'the one eyed Italian', Fanelli referred to himself as a Florentine, but the first definite record of his activities is in Genoa in 1608. He was still in Genoa in 1630 but shortly thereafter must have moved to England as he was being paid a pension by Charles I in 1635.
The fascination the English had with Fanelli must have originally stemmed from the fact that, at the time, his art was considered to be something of a novelty and his appointment as Court Sculptor to Charles I certainly did his reputation no harm. However, it is in looking at his oeuvre with present-day eyes, that it becomes obvious how his bronzes were, and remain, desirable for more erudite reasons. One need only look at the present lot of a Rearing Horse to see the whimsical nature of his compositions. Unlike his predecessors Giambologna, Antonio Susini and Pietro Tacca, Fanelli's bronzes are less laboured and are instead more spontaneously and vigorously modelled. And, while the former's bronzes often depict a snapshot of an action in progress, the present bronze captures an action as it is about to happen, literally, as it is about to spring off its plinth.
Various casts of this model - with minor variations in the tail or simply cast in reverse - exist in private collections and museums worldwide such as the collection of Dr. A. Schraft, Zurich (Weihrauch, loc. cit), the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (Wixom, loc. cit.), and as sold in these Rooms 7 July 2005, lot 439 paired with a Bull after Barthélemy Prieur. Although all these examples are clearly related, the present lot is unquestionably a finer cast, displaying superior detailing throughout the face, mane and tail.
Described in 1639 by Abraham van der Doort as 'the one eyed Italian', Fanelli referred to himself as a Florentine, but the first definite record of his activities is in Genoa in 1608. He was still in Genoa in 1630 but shortly thereafter must have moved to England as he was being paid a pension by Charles I in 1635.
The fascination the English had with Fanelli must have originally stemmed from the fact that, at the time, his art was considered to be something of a novelty and his appointment as Court Sculptor to Charles I certainly did his reputation no harm. However, it is in looking at his oeuvre with present-day eyes, that it becomes obvious how his bronzes were, and remain, desirable for more erudite reasons. One need only look at the present lot of a Rearing Horse to see the whimsical nature of his compositions. Unlike his predecessors Giambologna, Antonio Susini and Pietro Tacca, Fanelli's bronzes are less laboured and are instead more spontaneously and vigorously modelled. And, while the former's bronzes often depict a snapshot of an action in progress, the present bronze captures an action as it is about to happen, literally, as it is about to spring off its plinth.
Various casts of this model - with minor variations in the tail or simply cast in reverse - exist in private collections and museums worldwide such as the collection of Dr. A. Schraft, Zurich (Weihrauch, loc. cit), the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (Wixom, loc. cit.), and as sold in these Rooms 7 July 2005, lot 439 paired with a Bull after Barthélemy Prieur. Although all these examples are clearly related, the present lot is unquestionably a finer cast, displaying superior detailing throughout the face, mane and tail.