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拍品專文
The story of Nessus and Deianira records the denouement of Hercules' long and eventful life. Deianira, the wife of Hercules, was abducted by the centaur Nessus when he offered to ferry her across a river. Hercules then slew Nessus but the latter, in his dying moments, tricked Deianira into administering a fatal potion to her husband. Hercules donned a shirt which had been sprinkled with a potion that ate into his flesh with a mysterious fire and then killed him. He was later raised to the status of god and joined the other gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus.
The theme of this abduction was taken up in a model by Giambologna (1529-1608), court sculptor to the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany, in the last quarter of the 16th century. Due to the number of variations in the model Charles Avery and Anthony Radcliffe (1978 Giambologna exhibition catalogue, op. cit., p. 109) categorised them into three distinct groups: Type A being the original model conceived by Giambologna, Type B which was considered to be either a collaboration between Giambologna and Antonio Susini or a new Susini invention and Type C which was a much later variant. The bronze on offer here is an example of the Type B model and represents the development of Giambologna's original model where Deianira now raises herself up on her foot and attempts to spring from the grasp of the centaur in an altogether more energetic and baroque arrangement.
The Type B composition was thought to a Susini creation, however, for the catalogue entry on the very similar bronze in the Smith collection (loc. cit.), Radcliffe proposes that the invention is actually Giambologna's own, although possibly cast later by Susini after he had left his master's workshop. In looking at a 1609 inventory of the inheritance of Jacopo Salviati's son, Lorenzo, however, two entries indicate Un centauro di bronzo con una femmina addosso, di mano di Gio. Bologna… (a centaur in bronze with a woman on his back by the hand of Giambologna) and Un centauro di bronzo con una femmina in bracio di mano del Susini… (a centaur in bronze with a woman in his arms by the hand of Susini (London op. cit., p. 109)). If one takes the entries literally, the latter statement would seem to suggest that Susini conceived a revision of the Nessus and Deianira group - where Deianira is now held in Nessus's arms as opposed to seated on his back - as in the bronze on offer here. To date the location of this mentioned bronze is not known, and since it was in Jacopo Salviati's collection before he died in 1586, this would imply that Susini made the bronze very early in his career between 1580 and no later than 1586.
In an interesting anecdote noted by Baldinucci, Giambologna was said to have held in high esteem Susini's casts of this model, to the point that after Susini left his employ, Giambologna sent his chief assistant, Pietro Tacca, to buy a bronze of this model for 200 scudi on account of its splendidly finished surface (Ranalli, loc. cit.). From then on, Baldinucci noted, many more versions of that bronze were subsequently sold for the same price (ibid). Thus taking into account the casting, high quality of finishing and colour of the patina it is very likely that the bronze on offer here was one of these 17th century casts made in the Susini workshops.
The theme of this abduction was taken up in a model by Giambologna (1529-1608), court sculptor to the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany, in the last quarter of the 16th century. Due to the number of variations in the model Charles Avery and Anthony Radcliffe (1978 Giambologna exhibition catalogue, op. cit., p. 109) categorised them into three distinct groups: Type A being the original model conceived by Giambologna, Type B which was considered to be either a collaboration between Giambologna and Antonio Susini or a new Susini invention and Type C which was a much later variant. The bronze on offer here is an example of the Type B model and represents the development of Giambologna's original model where Deianira now raises herself up on her foot and attempts to spring from the grasp of the centaur in an altogether more energetic and baroque arrangement.
The Type B composition was thought to a Susini creation, however, for the catalogue entry on the very similar bronze in the Smith collection (loc. cit.), Radcliffe proposes that the invention is actually Giambologna's own, although possibly cast later by Susini after he had left his master's workshop. In looking at a 1609 inventory of the inheritance of Jacopo Salviati's son, Lorenzo, however, two entries indicate Un centauro di bronzo con una femmina addosso, di mano di Gio. Bologna… (a centaur in bronze with a woman on his back by the hand of Giambologna) and Un centauro di bronzo con una femmina in bracio di mano del Susini… (a centaur in bronze with a woman in his arms by the hand of Susini (London op. cit., p. 109)). If one takes the entries literally, the latter statement would seem to suggest that Susini conceived a revision of the Nessus and Deianira group - where Deianira is now held in Nessus's arms as opposed to seated on his back - as in the bronze on offer here. To date the location of this mentioned bronze is not known, and since it was in Jacopo Salviati's collection before he died in 1586, this would imply that Susini made the bronze very early in his career between 1580 and no later than 1586.
In an interesting anecdote noted by Baldinucci, Giambologna was said to have held in high esteem Susini's casts of this model, to the point that after Susini left his employ, Giambologna sent his chief assistant, Pietro Tacca, to buy a bronze of this model for 200 scudi on account of its splendidly finished surface (Ranalli, loc. cit.). From then on, Baldinucci noted, many more versions of that bronze were subsequently sold for the same price (ibid). Thus taking into account the casting, high quality of finishing and colour of the patina it is very likely that the bronze on offer here was one of these 17th century casts made in the Susini workshops.