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Lot Essay
Discussions on the present composition have varied widely, with different opinions concerning date, attribution and subject matter over its history. Now accepted to be a model by Francesco Fanelli (1590-1653), Raffaello Borghini’s (1537-1588) 1584 description of a lost marble of the same subject by Giovanni Bandini (1540-1599) led scholars Eric Maclagan (Maclagan, 1920, loc. cit.) and John Pope-Hennessy (Pope-Hennessy, 1963, loc. cit.) to uphold that the model was by the latter. The model was thought by Wilhelm von Bode (Bode, 1980, loc. cit.) and Leo Planiscig (Planiscig, 1927, loc. cit.) to have quattrocento Paduan origins, which has since been discredited. Now, it is widely accepted that the present bronze is a model, after Bandini, by his pupil Fanelli (Avery, 1996, loc. cit.).
It has also been debated whether the group represents Adonis or Meleager, both mythological figures with boars as identifying attributes. There are various factors that led scholars to agree that Adonis is here depicted. There is another model depicting Venus, with a similar cast and style, which has also been attributed to Fanelli. Other casts can be found in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 25.142.3) and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A.116-1910). As Venus and Adonis were lovers in mythology, the pairing makes sense. The present bronze is a fine, lively cast. The casting is thin, and the underside rewardingly reveals the maker’s process.
It has also been debated whether the group represents Adonis or Meleager, both mythological figures with boars as identifying attributes. There are various factors that led scholars to agree that Adonis is here depicted. There is another model depicting Venus, with a similar cast and style, which has also been attributed to Fanelli. Other casts can be found in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 25.142.3) and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A.116-1910). As Venus and Adonis were lovers in mythology, the pairing makes sense. The present bronze is a fine, lively cast. The casting is thin, and the underside rewardingly reveals the maker’s process.