26 - Giuseppe BENELLI (1819–1861), after Pietro TACCA (1577–1640)

Giuseppe BENELLI (1819–1861), after Pietro TACCA (1577–1640) The Piglet An exceptional patinated bronze fountain bearing the foundry mark of Clemente Papi 1857 (1803–1875) The open terrace designed to hold a basin, adorned with rich bas-relief and high-relief decorations featuring plants and animals of the marshland fauna Marked “G Benelli modello questa base nel 1856 sulle poche tracce rimanenti del Tacca,” meaning “G Benelli modeled this base in 1856 based on a few remaining traces of Tacca.” ” Signed and dated on the base. Italy, late 19th–early 20th century H 134; W 187; D 170 cm (Wear to the patina) Sold by description Note. The original bronze work, popularly known as *Il Porcellino* (the little pig, although it is actually a wild boar), has its roots in Classical Antiquity. It is an interpretation of a Hellenistic or Roman marble sculpture presented in 1560 by Pope Pius IV to Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici during his visit to Rome. This ancient marble sculpture is now housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Around 1612, Grand Duke Cosimo II de’ Medici commissioned a bronze replica from the sculptor Pietro Tacca (1577–1640), a student and the principal successor of Giovanni da Bologna (known as Giambologna). Tacca cast the bronze around 1621, but the creation of the highly detailed, naturalistic base—featuring plants, snakes, frogs, and mollusks typical of marshland fauna—delayed the work’s full completion until 1633. The work was designed to serve as a public fountain to provide refreshment for merchants beneath the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo in Florence. Water flows directly from the animal’s mouth into a basin below. Tacca’s original bronze has been housed at the Bardini Museum in Florence since 1988, while a modern replica occupies its historic location under the loggia. The Porcellino is one of the world’s most famous animal bronzes, both for the precision of its anatomical rendering and for the folk traditions associated with it (rubbing its snout is said to bring good luck and ensure a return to Florence). As early as the 17th and 18th centuries, the statue became a must-see stop on the Grand Tour, prompting many Italian and European foundries to produce smaller versions and life-size casts for a clientele of aristocratic collectors. The Benelli Foundry in Florence is among the Italian workshops specializing in lost-wax casting based on the great masterpieces of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Their large-scale casts of the Porcellino faithfully capture the sculptural power of Tacca’s original as well as the naturalistic rendering of the terrace.