Description

Giovanni da Bologna rape of the Sabine women Italy, bronze, Foundry Chiurazzi Naples, circa 1880

The rape of the Sabine Women was an incident from Roman mythology, in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of young women from the other cities in the region. It has been a frequent subject of artists, particularly during the Renaissance and post-Renaissance eras.

Use of the word “rape” comes from the conventional translation of the Latin word used in the ancient accounts of the incident: raptio. Modern scholars tend to interpret the word as “abduction” as opposed to (sexual) violation. Controversy remains, however, as to how the acts committed against the women should be judged.

This extraordinary bronze is a reduction of the most celebrated model by the great Florentine Mannerist sculptor, Giambologna. Depicting a moment from the legendary Rape of the Sabines, the original version in marble proved an instant success upon its installation on the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence in 1583. Its technical innovation and breathtaking virtuosity inspired poetry and provoked an international demand for reductions of the sculptor’s models in bronze. Casts were soon owned by the major courts of Europe and continued to be highly prized by discerning collectors in and outside Italy. The refined quality of the present cast is indicative of the famous Italian Fonderia Chiurazzi made in Naples With exceptional quality in the late 19th century, circa 1880. The Foundry mark is located on the sculpture. Very finely chased.

Condition: Exceptional, No damage or repairs. Mounted on oktagonalem, two-colored marble. Small chips to black marble.

Measures: Height 39 cm, weight 5.7 kg, diameter of the Base 16 cm

Giovanni da Bologna (1529-1608), actually Jean de Boulogne, called Giambologna. Considered the master of the late Italian Mannerism. He was a Flemish Italian sculptor of the Florentine School of Mannerism and early Baroque. Bologna created numerous sculptures in marble and bronze for the Italian nobility, specifically for the Medici.

A Grand Tour bronze figure of the Italian sculptor Giambologna ( 1529 – 1608). The sculpture is signed with a foundry mark from the important foundry “Chiurazzi Naples” (marked in the cast) and what made in a very high quality cast. Cast bronze with deep dark brown patina on a marble octagonal base.