Giovanni di Bologna, genannt Giambologna, Nac... Lot n° 49

Horse attacked by a lion Cast bronze, brown-gold patina, gilding, white and green marble (serpentine?). On a matching profiled plinth with four feet in the shape of scallops. H 9,3, W ca. 15,5 cm, with base H 13, W 24 cm. Florence, attributed, 17th century. The archetype of this bronze is a monumental, fragmentarily preserved ancient marble, which was restored and visually completed in the 16th century and is now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The masterpiece depicts a terrified stallion collapsing under a fierce predatory cat that violently bites the body of its prey. The powerful theme of this artwork was understood as a battle between noble animals, an allegory of victory and defeat. By the time the Hellenistic marble group changed its location in Rome from the Piazza del Campidoglio to the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori around 1600, it had already had a significant reception history. Its fame was also contributed to by the bronzes that interpreted the work in a scaled-down version. They are associated with the workshop of the great Florentine Mannerist sculptor Giambologna (1529 - 1608) and his assistants Antonio Susini and Pietro Tacca. The popularity of their replicas was enormous and required a series of casts in different sizes, chasing and patination. The marble group was also published as prints. The engraver Adamo Scultori (1530 - 1585) published it as plate 175 in the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae (The Mirror of Roman Magnificence). The Speculum consisted of a collection of prints that recorded works of art, architecture, and cityscapes of ancient and modern Rome. The prints could be purchased by travelers and collectors individually or bound together as an album. Literature On the subject, see. J. Paul Getty Trust, "Lion Attacking a Horse from the Capitoline Museums, Rome," 2012. See also Milestonerome, The forgotten symbol of municipal Rome, online 26 April 2015.