Description
17th century FLORENTINE SCHOOL Cristo Vivo' Crucifixion Christ Bronze figure with brown patina Height: 35 cm (some patina wear, notably to the right kneecap, and slight accident to the left flank) Provenance : - Former Château de Rosny collection belonging to the Duchesse de Berry - Former Tatistcheff collection, owners of Château de Rosny - Acquired by the vendor from the Tatistcheffs. Reference work : -Michelangelo Buonarroti, Christ on the cross surrounded by two lamenting angels, 1538-1541, drawing on paper, size :36,8 x 26,8 cm, London, British Museum, n°inv.1895,0915.504 Comparative works : - Attributed to Ferdinando Tacca after a model by Jean Bologne, Cristo vivo, bronze statuette, H.26.5 cm (illustrated on p.1 of C. Avery and M. Hall, p.122) -Attributed to a close relative of Jean Bologne, perhaps Pietro Tacca, Cristo vivo, silver statuette, H. 28, 2 cm (illustrated p.1 of C. Avery and M. Hall, p.124) Related literature : -Ss dir Denis Allen , Italian Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022, notice 101, pp. 287-294 ; -Vittoria Colonna e Michelangelo, catalog of the exhibition held at Casa Buonarrati, Florence, 2005, no. 49, pp. 165-6 ; - Charles Avery and Michael Hall, Giambologna (1529-1608) Sculpture by the Master and his Successors. Collection of Michael Hall. Essays and catalog by Charles Avery and Michael Hall, catalog of the exhibition held at the Galerie Piltzer in Paris from May to September 1999, Somogy, 1999, notice 29 p.122 and notice 30 p.124. Christ is depicted here at the moment of his sacrifice, his imploring gaze turned slightly heavenward. The subtly serpentine composition of this robust body reinforces the calm dynamism and appeased power of the Christ-like figure. This depiction of the glorious Christ is inspired by Michelangelo's remarkable drawing from 1538-1541, now in the British Museum in London. This drawing is generally identified as the presentation drawing for a Crucifixion scene created for his confidante Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547), with whom he shared an intense spiritual correspondence. As the many surviving drawings and studies testify, Michelangelo's interest in depicting this fundamental scene of Christian iconography continued throughout his career, especially in the 1530s/1540s and in the last years of his life. The British Museum drawing became an iconic image of Counter-Reformation devotion and propaganda. It was widely disseminated by engraving (Giulio Bonasone, ca 1498-ca 1574), but also by copies drawn (Giulio Clovio, 1498-1578) or painted, such as the one by Marcello Venusti (1512/1515 - 1579) in the Doria Pamphili gallery in Rome. Although there is no documentary trace of a sculpted model in the Florentine genius's hand relating to this drawing, it is clear that it inspired subsequent generations of Florentine sculptors. A model of Cristo Vivo with the same powerful morphotype can be found in the work of Giambologna, the most famous Mannerist sculptor of the Medici court.
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17th century FLORENTINE SCHOOL Cristo Vivo' Crucifixion Christ Bronze figure with brown patina Height: 35 cm (some patina wear, notably to the right kneecap, and slight accident to the left flank) Provenance : - Former Château de Rosny collection belonging to the Duchesse de Berry - Former Tatistcheff collection, owners of Château de Rosny - Acquired by the vendor from the Tatistcheffs. Reference work : -Michelangelo Buonarroti, Christ on the cross surrounded by two lamenting angels, 1538-1541, drawing on paper, size :36,8 x 26,8 cm, London, British Museum, n°inv.1895,0915.504 Comparative works : - Attributed to Ferdinando Tacca after a model by Jean Bologne, Cristo vivo, bronze statuette, H.26.5 cm (illustrated on p.1 of C. Avery and M. Hall, p.122) -Attributed to a close relative of Jean Bologne, perhaps Pietro Tacca, Cristo vivo, silver statuette, H. 28, 2 cm (illustrated p.1 of C. Avery and M. Hall, p.124) Related literature : -Ss dir Denis Allen , Italian Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022, notice 101, pp. 287-294 ; -Vittoria Colonna e Michelangelo, catalog of the exhibition held at Casa Buonarrati, Florence, 2005, no. 49, pp. 165-6 ; - Charles Avery and Michael Hall, Giambologna (1529-1608) Sculpture by the Master and his Successors. Collection of Michael Hall. Essays and catalog by Charles Avery and Michael Hall, catalog of the exhibition held at the Galerie Piltzer in Paris from May to September 1999, Somogy, 1999, notice 29 p.122 and notice 30 p.124. Christ is depicted here at the moment of his sacrifice, his imploring gaze turned slightly heavenward. The subtly serpentine composition of this robust body reinforces the calm dynamism and appeased power of the Christ-like figure. This depiction of the glorious Christ is inspired by Michelangelo's remarkable drawing from 1538-1541, now in the British Museum in London. This drawing is generally identified as the presentation drawing for a Crucifixion scene created for his confidante Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547), with whom he shared an intense spiritual correspondence. As the many surviving drawings and studies testify, Michelangelo's interest in depicting this fundamental scene of Christian iconography continued throughout his career, especially in the 1530s/1540s and in the last years of his life. The British Museum drawing became an iconic image of Counter-Reformation devotion and propaganda. It was widely disseminated by engraving (Giulio Bonasone, ca 1498-ca 1574), but also by copies drawn (Giulio Clovio, 1498-1578) or painted, such as the one by Marcello Venusti (1512/1515 - 1579) in the Doria Pamphili gallery in Rome. Although there is no documentary trace of a sculpted model in the Florentine genius's hand relating to this drawing, it is clear that it inspired subsequent generations of Florentine sculptors. A model of Cristo Vivo with the same powerful morphotype can be found in the work of Giambologna, the most famous Mannerist sculptor of the Medici court.
