GIAMBOLOGNA (Douai, 1529- Firenze 1608)'S MODEL WITH VARIATIONS, XVII CENTURY (?)

Horse in step

Coated bronze, translucent gold varnish. 34 x 23,5 x 14 cm with base; 23 x 25 x 8 cm without

The beautiful horse here proposed evokes the manner of Tuscan Renaissance equestrian monuments. Some horses attributed to Giambologna, or to his successor Antonio Susini, show affinities with this casting, albeit with notable variations, such as the tail, which is here knotted with a bow, very similar to that of Donatello's equestrian monument of Gattamelata.

The modeling of the animal conveys the idea of a mighty, perhaps warhorse with a wonderful wavy mane.

Our casting has a vertical slit at the point where the two halves of the horse are linked. In my opinion, this could be a technical aspect of the casting done in two parts then hidden by a covering patination now lost, or the possibility that there was a rider planned to covered the slit.

This horse has a wonderful transparent lacquer with reddish-gold tones, which brings it close to the typical patinas of the Tuscan school, with traces of darker, bituminous ones in the less consumed areas.