Equestrian sculpture by Bartolomeo Colleoni. Italy,... Lot 33

Equestrian sculpture by Bartolomeo Colleoni. Italy, Grand Tour, 19th century. Bronze sculpture with marble base. Measurements: 57 x 50 x 29 cm; 8 x 49 x 24 cm. Bronze sculpture representing the condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni (who served for a long time under the Republic of Venice). It is a sculpture made during the Grand Tour from the original by Verrocchio, located in the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice. It is the second most important equestrian statue of the Italian Renaissance, after Donatello's equestrian statue of Gattamelata (1453). The term 'Grand Tour', which first appeared in Richard Lassels' 'Voyage d'Italie', was used to define the long journey through Europe, especially Italy, which was usually undertaken by young British aristocrats from the 17th century onwards, but especially throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of the journey was for young people to become acquainted with the art and culture of mainly France and Italy, to admire classical art at first hand, to learn or improve their knowledge of languages, and to establish contacts and relationships with the cultural and political elites of these countries. Travellers were often looking for pieces with which to start their own art collections, objects to take back to their places of residence as souvenirs. For this reason, workshops specialising in the replication of Roman pieces, both in bronze and marble, sprang up, some of which acquired a great reputation.