Neptune
- Object:
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Giambologna, born 1519 - died 1608 (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Bronzed clay on wire armature
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
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This figure of bronzed clay representing Neptune is made by Giambologna in Florence in ca. 1560.
This terracotta figure of Neptune is the first idea of the celebrated Fountain which stands in the market place at Bologna. In the finished work the right leg is bent instead of the left and is supported by a Dolphin.
A small model for the Neptune statue is known to have been in existence by the end of 1563. Related bronze models are in the National Museum, Stockholm and the Museo Civico, Bologna.
Giambologna (ca. 1524-1608) was born in Flanders. He went to Rome to study antique sculpture from about 1550 to 1553 and then travelled back through Florence where he was persuaded to stay. He became sculptor to the Medici family and consequently became one of the most influential sculptors of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He drew attention to many artists from Northern Europe and disseminated his style mainly through small bronzes. He established an efficient and large workshop.
The status of the model has been thoroughly discussed by Pope-Hennessy. It has been accepted as the work of Giambologna by most scholars, apart from J.C. Robinson and Keutner, who preferred Ammanati as author. Gramberg identified it as a preliminary sketch for the full-size model of Neptune produced in clay by Giambologna for the competition held in 1560 over who should carve the statue of Neptune for the projected fountain on the piazza della Signoria.
Physical description
Sketch-model in clay - Both hands are broken off. Painted black or dark bronze colour.
Place of Origin
Florence, Italy (made)
Date
ca. 1560 (made)
Artist/maker
Giambologna, born 1519 - died 1608 (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Bronzed clay on wire armature
Dimensions
Height: 1.7 ft, Height: 47.9 cm
Object history note
This terracotta figure of Neptune is the first idea of the celebrated Fountain which stands in the market place at Bologna. In the finished work the right leg is bent instead of the left and is supported by a Dolphin.
A small model for the Neptune statue is known to have been in existence by the end of 1563. Related bronze models are in the National Museum, Stockholm and the Museo Civico, Bologna.
Descriptive line
Stautette of Neptune in bronzed clay on wire armature by Giambologna, made in Florence, ca. 1560.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1854. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 17.
Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 146.
Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume II: Text. Sixteenth to Twentieth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, p. 465.
Gramberg. Giovanni Bologna: Eine Untersuchung über die Werke seiner Wanderjahre. Berlin: 1936, p. 36.
Robinson, J.C. Italian Sculpture of the Middle Ages and Period of the Revival of Art. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Works forming the above Section of the Museum, with additional Illustrative Notices. London: Chapman and Hall, 1862, p. 163.
Production Note
The status of the model has been thoroughly discussed by Pope-Hennessy. It has been accepted as the work of Giambologna by most scholars, apart from J.C. Robinson and Keutner, who preferred Ammanati as author. Gramberg identified it as a preliminary sketch for the full-size model of Neptune produced in clay by Giambologna for the competition held in 1560 over who should carve the statue of Neptune for the projected fountain on the piazza della Signoria. In the finished work the right leg is bent instead of the left and is supported by a Dolphin. The pose, with left knee flexed and right arm hanging down, has features in common with a bronze statuette from the workshop of Giovanni Bologna in the National Museum in Stockholm, and this is in turn related to a bronze statuette in the Museo Civico at Bologna, in which the figure is shown with the right knee flexed and the right foot resting on a dolphin, as in the Bologna fountain.
Materials
Clay; Wire
Techniques
Bronzing
Subjects depicted
Neptune
Categories
Sculpture
Collection code
SCP
