Pacing Bull
Giovanni Francesco Susini (1585–1653)
Mid 17th century
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Giambologna was one of the first as well as one of the greatest animal sculptors since antiquity, and it is universally agreed that both models, Pacing Horse and Pacing Bull, were invented by him, albeit at different times. The Pacing Horse is in effect a by-product of his massive equestrian monument of 1593 to Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, since it is basically identical in appearance to the horse there, and was very possibly derived from a reduced scale clay model of a riderless horse that formed part of his planning for the large group. At a later date, the Pacing Bull was probably deliberately designed as a pendant to the Horse, and was directly based upon an antique prototype. In fact, there are a number of broadly similar classical bronzes of bulls, which means there is no way of establishing which one he may have known. Conversely, the existence of a demonstrably earlier drawing in the Louvre by Francesco Primaticcio (1504–1570) for the decoration of one of the ceilings at the Château of Fontainebleau, in all probability for the Galerie d’Ulysse, which has an uncannily similar bull as its centrepiece, proves that classical bulls of this kind were already in circulation. In any event, by 1612 the pairing certainly existed, since two corresponding bronzes formed part of the diplomatic gift from the Medici to Henry Prince of Wales in that year.
The present pair were acquired by Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein in 1696 from an art dealer called Marcus Forchondt in Antwerp; they may previously have been in the collection of Jan van Meurs in the same city, where they were listed in 1652. The rich golden-red patina and the superb quality of the chasing of these examples, which is particularly apparent in the horse’s mane and separately cast tail, fully justify their attribution to Giovanni Francesco Susini.
- Material/technique
- bronze with original lacquer patina
- Measurements
- 23.5 × 26.5 × 7.8 cm
- Acquisition
- acquired in 1696 by Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein
- Artists/makers/authors
- Giovanni Francesco Susini
- Inventory number
- SK 553
- Provenance
- acquired in 1696 by Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein
- Place of origin
- Florence
- Iconography
- Bull
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