Nessus and Deianira: An Italian-Inspired Bronze

Published on 31 March 2023, by Philippe Dufour

Auction on 18 April 2023 - 13:00 (CEST) - Salle 11 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009

The myth about a kidnapping captivated the great Mannerist sculptors, particularly Giambologna and Susini.

France, c.1700, after a model by Giambologna (1529-1608) or Antonio Susini (1550-1624),... Nessus and Deianira: An Italian-Inspired Bronze

France, c.1700, after a model by Giambologna (1529-1608) or Antonio Susini (1550-1624), L'Enlèvement de Déjanire par le centaure Nessus (Deianira Abducted by the Centaur Nessus), bronze with a translucent golden-brown patina, 42.5 x 36.5 cm/16.73 x 14.37 in, blackened wood base decorated with gilded bronze Medusa-like head masks.

Estimate: €60,000/80,000

Ovid’s Metamorphoses was a source of inspiration for many Renaissance artists. Book IX tells the story of Heracles’s wife Deianira. One day, a centaur named Nessus tried to abduct or rape the young woman while ferrying her across the river Euenos, but Heracles shot the half-man, half-horse with a poisoned arrow…

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