GIANFRANCESCO SUSINI (FLORENCE, 1585-1653)

A treatise in complicated balance, Gianfrancesco Susini’s stunning composition of one of the most popular subjects of the time epitomizes the spiraling compositions of the era, only fully understood when viewed in the round. This example includes extensive traces of the original reddish-gold patina only achieved by Florentine foundries during this period.

In this bronze, Gianfrancesco imaginatively combines elements from a number of existing groups in bronze and marble. These include his predecessor Giambologna’s models of this same subject as well as Samson Slaying a Philistine. Along with compositional elements taken from the Lion Attacking a Horse created by his uncle, Antonio Susini, Gianfrancesco’s new interpretation of the theme results in a composition steeped in the pressures of a tense battle. Of the compositions of this subject created by Giambologna and his successors, scholars have identified three variant types; the present variant with the centaur’s hindquarters on the ground being known in only seven examples, each varying in the size of the ground and in the finish of the club. Versions of this powerful model fascinated viewers in Italy starting with Giambologna’s completion of six silver statuettes for the Tribuna of the Uffizi in 1589 and were a favorite to use as courtly gifts from the Florentine Medici dynasty as early as 1611.

This bronze features a rich variety of techniques employed by Gianfrancesco both in the wax, such as the highly defined veins, musculature and hand pressing into the flesh of Hercules’ chest, as well as an impressive degree of technical application after casting such as the punched ground and highly polished surface.