Lot n° 139
Estimation :
3000 - 4000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 40 200EUR
Bronze FIGURE representing Christ at the... - Lot 139 - Pousse-Cornet
Bronze FIGURE representing Christ at the column
Attributed to Antonio Susini (1558-1624), perhaps 'after a model by Giambologna', Italy, early 17th century.
Resting on a marble base; reddish brown patina.
Height: 17.4 cm; Total height: 20 cm.
Provenance : Private collection from a castle in the Loir Valley.
A bronze figure of Christ at the column, attributed to Antonio Susini (1558-1624), perhaps 'after a model by Giambologna', Italian, early 17th century
Expert: Isabelle d'Amécourt
There are at least four other identical versions, sometimes attributed to Antonio Susini (1558-1624) or, unfortunately, to Bartholomew Prior (1536-1611). It has recently been clarified that an attribution of this model to Prior seems impossible, since as a member of the Church of the "allegedly reformed religion" Prior was forbidden to represent a divine figure. Moreover, none of the Christian subjects are specified in his post-death inventory.
We are aware of four versions similar to the one presented. The version from the Beit Collection (Christie's, London, 7 December 2006, lot 197), the one from the von Rhò Collection in Vienna (Christie's, New York, Michael Hall Collection, lot 91, 11 June 2010) which was also shown in the 1978 Giambologna historical exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. As Avery notes in the catalogue, the latter had been attributed to Giambologna on the strengths of body and hand modelling, but it is more likely by a younger disciple. Another version was once in the Barbara Piasecka Johnson collection and exhibited at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, and finally a version recently presented for sale (Sotheby's, New York, 30 January 2021, lot 743) from the Alexis Gregory collection.
The peculiarity of our bronze compared to the four other known versions is the presence of the column (an important element for the narrative moment), with a loop specially added to secure the rope or chain by which Christ is tied.
We thank Dr Regina Seelig-Teuwen and Dr Charles Avery for their contribution.
COMPARATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY :
C. Avery and A. Radcliffe, eds. Giambologna, Sculptor to the Medici, exh. cat. Arts Council of Britain, London, 1978, no. 96.
C. Avery and M. Hall, Giambologna: An Exhibition of Sculpture by the Master and his Followers from the Collection of Michael Hall, Esq, Salander O'Reilly Galleries, New York, 1998, no. 33.
Giambologna and his Followers: Sculpture from the Collections of Michael Hall, Miami-Dade College Museum of Art, Freedom Tower, 9 October 2009-20 February 2010.
Opus Sacrum, Warsaw, 1990, pp. 308-310, no. 57.
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