Venus, Adonis and Cupid thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 56, The Djanogly Gallery

Venus, Adonis and Cupid

Statuette
ca. 1640 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Many of Fanelli's small bronzes represent characters or scenes from mythology. A version of this composition was in the Royal collection in the 1640s, among the small-scale sculpture placed on the window sills of the throne room at the palace of Whitehall in London.

Subjects Depicted
Venus, the Roman goddess of love and fertility and mother of Cupid, fell in love with Adonis after being accidently grazed by Cupid's arrow. Adonis was killed by a wild boar while out hunting.

People
Fanelli was born in Florence. He worked in Genoa, using marble, ivory and silver, as well as bronze, before coming to England in the early 1630s. Although he was said to have 'livd and dyd in England', it has sometimes been assumed that he left the country at the outbreak of the Civil War. The recent discovery of his baptismal records, revealing his birth date of 1577, make it more likely that he died around 1641, when he was last documented.

Time
In the late 16th century, the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Bologna (1529-1608) and his followers were responsible for a significant output of sophisticated and high quality statuettes. These were dispersed throughout Europe and Charles I inherited a group from his elder brother, Henry, who died in 1612. They doubtless influenced both the King's taste and Francesco Fanelli's production.

Materials & Making
The lost wax method of casting is a complicated procedure that creates a bronze sculpture using a wax model taken from the original design. In Fanelli's workshop, waxes were cast in moulds taken from individual elements of the original, which could have been made of clay or wax. By assembling the wax sections slightly differently, Fanelli was able to produce variations of the same composition.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleVenus, Adonis and Cupid (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Cast bronze
Brief description
Statuette, bronze, Venus, Adonis and Cupid, by Francesco Fanelli, London, ca. 1640
Physical description
Venus, Adonis and Cupid are shown on a base with two dogs.
Dimensions
  • Height: 16cm
  • Width: 11cm
  • Depth: 8cm
Dimensions checked: measured; 09/07/1999 by DW
Gallery label
British Galleries: THREE BRONZES BY FANELLI
Records show that small bronzes like these stood on the windowsills of important rooms in Whitehall Palace. Charles I admired Italian statuettes, having inherited an important group from his elder brother, Prince Henry (1594-1612). He went on to buy the famous Gonzaga collection of antique sculpture for £10,000.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Dr W. L. Hildburgh FSA
Object history
Made in London by Francesco Fanelli (born in Florence, Italy, 1577, last documented in London 1641).
Given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., 1956.
Historical context
A version of this composition was among the small-scale sculptures placed on the window sills of the Throne Room at Whitehall in the 1640s.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
Many of Fanelli's small bronzes represent characters or scenes from mythology. A version of this composition was in the Royal collection in the 1640s, among the small-scale sculpture placed on the window sills of the throne room at the palace of Whitehall in London.

Subjects Depicted
Venus, the Roman goddess of love and fertility and mother of Cupid, fell in love with Adonis after being accidently grazed by Cupid's arrow. Adonis was killed by a wild boar while out hunting.

People
Fanelli was born in Florence. He worked in Genoa, using marble, ivory and silver, as well as bronze, before coming to England in the early 1630s. Although he was said to have 'livd and dyd in England', it has sometimes been assumed that he left the country at the outbreak of the Civil War. The recent discovery of his baptismal records, revealing his birth date of 1577, make it more likely that he died around 1641, when he was last documented.

Time
In the late 16th century, the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Bologna (1529-1608) and his followers were responsible for a significant output of sophisticated and high quality statuettes. These were dispersed throughout Europe and Charles I inherited a group from his elder brother, Henry, who died in 1612. They doubtless influenced both the King's taste and Francesco Fanelli's production.

Materials & Making
The lost wax method of casting is a complicated procedure that creates a bronze sculpture using a wax model taken from the original design. In Fanelli's workshop, waxes were cast in moulds taken from individual elements of the original, which could have been made of clay or wax. By assembling the wax sections slightly differently, Fanelli was able to produce variations of the same composition.
Bibliographic reference
Howarth, D. 'Charles I, Sculpture and Sculptor's'. In: A. MacGregor (ed.), The Late King's Goods, Oxford University Press, London & Oxford, no. 3, p. 100, fig. 51
Collection
Accession number
A.96-1956

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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