SOLDANI BENZI MASSIMILIANO (1656 - 1740). In the manner of. Allegorical figure holding two olive branches. Dimensions with wooden base: 46x17x17 cm.. 12,00 x 37,50 x 11,00 cm.
Italian Late 19th Century Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture of a Standing Faun with Cymbals, 22 1/4" h. Note: This model is after the original by Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740).
CIRCLE OF MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI BENZI ITALIAN, FLORENCE, CA. 1700 CRISTO MORTO Terracotta, on ebonised wood base the figure 64.5cm long, 29cm deep, 14cm high, base 78.5 by 39.5cmThis powerful representation of the recumbent Cristo Morto (Dead Christ) has been associated with the 18th century Florentine sculptor, Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740). Soldani gained an international reputation across Europe due to the dissemination of his bronze casts of copies after the Antique, as well as his own mythological and religious compositions. This was achieved by the direct patronage of important foreign clients, for example Prince Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein and the Duke of Marlborough, and by Soldani's personal marketing of his works through agents throughout Europe, such as Giovanni Giacomo Zamboni in London. In addition to bronzes, Soldani's models were reproduced in Doccia porcelain, which made his compositions available to a wholly different level of collector. The iconography of the Pietà has become especially closely associated with Soldani; his interpretations of this subject were so influential that they have become the starting point for any attribution of an anonymous recumbent Cristo Morto made in Italy in the first half of the 18th century. Devotional images of Christ's recumbent dead body, variously known as the Lamentation, the Pietà or more generally as the Cristo Morto or Dead Christ, are a harrowing and intense iconography that has obviously been interpreted by artists in many different ways. Perhaps the most famous Pietà in Italian Renaissance sculpture is Michelangelo's marble group in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Inevitably, Soldani's interpretation of the subject matter pays homage to Il Divino, as do other late 17th or early 18th century sculptors' essays on this theme, which may also have influenced the sculptor of our version. Other notable interpretations include the Roman sculptor François Duquesnoy's (1597-1643) terracotta in the Ashmolean Museum (inv. WA1940.190); the Sienese sculptor Giuseppe Mazzuoli's (1644-1725) various models, such as his exquisite marble in Santa Maria della Scala, Siena and a large terracotta relief, sold Sotheby's, New York, 29 January 2021, lot 146; and the Bolognese sculptor Giuseppe Mazza's (1653-1741) signed terracotta relief, with Walter Padovani, Milan. There are also other relevant Florentine models that have affinities with the present terracotta. A polychrome wood Cristo Morto in the Monastery of St Agata, Florence is depicted, like this terracotta, alone and lying flat on a shroud, His knees drawn up slightly and His right hand stretched out by his side. The treatment of His torso, the stomach pulled in and the chest muscular, is also comparable to the present terracotta. This contrasts with Christ's anatomy in Soldani's various models where the body of the Saviour is fuller and has a softer handling of the musculature. The St Agata Cristo Morto is attributed to a sculptor in the circle of Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1725), and it is in this context that the present terracotta seems to find the closest parallels. A particularly noteworthy example is Balthazar Permoser's (1651-1732) recumbent Dead Christ in the church of St Matthias, Breslau. Around the 1680s, Permoser worked in Foggini's studio for over a decade. Permoser's Christ has similar anatomy and a close handling of the bony hands. But, most unusually, Permoser includes the Christogram 'INRI' under Christ's head. This feature is unknown to the present author in any other model of the Dead Christ, except the present terracotta. A terracotta Cristo Morto in SS Michele e Gaetano, Florence, formerly associated with the school of Foggini, but now ascribed to Giuseppe Piamontini (1664-1742) suggests another, but closely related environment in which the sculptor of the present terracotta could have worked. Piamontini's terracotta mirrors the present work in its anatomy and bony fingers but is less emaciated overall - a beautiful alabaster Cristo Morto by Piamontini in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence evinces a similar treatment. Foggini and Piamontini were, alongside Soldani, the leading rival sculptors in Florence around 1700 and any sculptor who worked in, or even passed through, their studios will have assimilated a characteristic Florentine style, a style that is tangible in the present terracotta. However, the degree of emaciation in the body and the bony anguish in the hands in this model of the Cristo Morto brings to mind a more northern aesthetic which could point to a foreign sculptor trained in Florence in the late 17th or early 18th century. We thank Alexander Kader for his assistance in cataloguing this lot. For further information on this lot please visit our website.
A Large, Well Executed Medal by Italian Baroque Sculptor Massimiliano Soldani (1656-1740). Bronze, 86mm. Dated 1684, the obverse shows a bust of Francisco Redi, the "founder of experimental biology; the reverse Bacchanal figures with the Latin legend CANEBAM at 6:00. Ch VF with an expertly repaired suspension hole at 12:00. Scarce and quite impressive. From the Augustana Collection. Est. $120.
Soldani Benzi , Massimiliano (Italian, 1656-1740); b. Montevarchi ITALY , Francesco Redi , 1684, a cast bronze medal by M. Soldani-Benzi, draped bust right, rev. several figures engaged in a Bacchic revelry, canebam in exergue, 86mm, 196.50g (Bargello 7839; V. & T 36; Johnson 126; Brettauer 952; Börner 1487; BDM V, 566; Clifford 297; cf . Teutoburger 155, 4190). Very fine and softly worked in the baroque style, rare £100-£150 --- Provenance: bt Baldwin Francesco Redi (1626-97), was a physician, naturalist, and biologist, as well as a poet. ------ For more information , additional images and to bid on this lot please go to the auctioneers website, www.noonans.co.uk
After Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656 - 1740) Italian, 18th century Pair of busts of a Faun and a young man bronze, dark brown patina 38cm., 15in. overall each (2) ____________________________________________ D'après Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656 - 1740) Italie, XVIIIe siècle Paire de bustes d'un Faune et d'un jeune homme bronze à patine brun foncé H. totale 38 cm, 15 in. (2)
Circle of Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656 - 1740) Italian, probably Florence, 18th century Bacchus and Ariadne surrounded by Putti silvered and gilt bronze, on a lapis lazuli and black marble base with bronze feet inscribed: EVOHE BACCHE TIBI CONIUX TVA / DONA MINISTRAT and: EST ALIQVID PRAETER VINA QVOD / INDE PETAS bronze: 27 cm., 10⅝ in. base: 4,5 cm, 1¾ in. ____________________________________________ Entourage de Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656 - 1740) Italie, probablement Florence, XVIIIe siècle Bacchus et Ariane entourés de Putti bronze argenté et doré, sur un socle en lapis-lazuli et marbre noir, les pieds en bronze inscrit EVOHE BACCHE TIBI CONIUX TVA / DONA MINISTRAT et : EST ALIQVID PRAETER VINA QVOD / INDE PETAS H. (bronze) 27 cm, 10 ⅝ in. H. (socle) 4,5 cm, 1 ¾ in.
Ae (88.2 mm). Splendid coeval casting. Usual suspension hole. Work commissioned by Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici for the opera "Bacchus in Tuscany" in 1684. Ref. Toderi-Vannel 36. R.
Property of a Private Collector, Sold Without Reserve The Model after Massimiliano Soldani Benzi 1656 - 1740 Florence 18th century Athlete Holding a Vase bronze on a wood base inlaid with brass stringing height overall: 15 ¾ in.; 14.6 cm.
Relief: "Der Winter - Allegorie der Kunst" Wohl Doccia, 19. Jh. | Porzellan, weiß. Restauriert, beschädigt. 42 x 55 cm. Rahmen. Nach dem Vorbild von Massimiliano Soldani (Massimiliano Soldani Benzi) (1656-1740) aus der Reihe "Die vier Jahreszeiten", ursprünglich im Auftrag Ferdinando de’ Medicis für seinen Schwager. Dargestellt sind: Allegorien des Gartenbaus (Frühlingsfest der Flora), des Ackerbaus (Triumph der Ceres), des Weinbaus (Triumph des Bacchus) und der Kunst (Mars und Venus in der Schmiede des Vulkan). Heute im Bayerischen Nationalmuseum, München.
Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740) (workshop of) ExecutionerBronze, redish patina on black patina  Ebonized wood base with inclusion of round ruin marbleOverall 58,5x16,5x16,5 cm Bronze 37,5x14x14The original model of this bronze is attributed to Massimiliano Soldani Benzi and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin (No. 8122). It depicts a nude man holding a severed head, most likely that of the John Baptist, in his left hand. It is easy to recognize in this sculpture the well-known figure of Giambologna's Mars, one of the master's most successful inventions. Directly donated by the artist to the Elector of Saxony Christian I, it was documented as early as 1587 in the inventory of the Dresden Kunstkammer. Giambologna's Florentine successors copied and reworked the master's invention. Massimiliano Soldani Benzi added a severed head to the subject of the Mars, producing an original and striking work. Extremely fine finish with splendid transparent reddish patina, typical of early Florentine production of  Giambologna’s school. The sword, cast separately, may have been replaced as Soldani’s original carries another type, a scimitar, or it may be a period variant. There is a reported passage at Christie's auction ( December 6, 2016) of the same subject with similar attribution. BibliographyA.Radcliffe, Charles Avery, Giambologna 1529-1608: Sculptor to the Medici, exhibition catalog, Royal Scottish Museum Edinburgh, Victoria and Albert Museum London, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna,1978-79, p.100, no.49. 
Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (Montevarchi 1656-1740) (school of) 18th-19th century Bronze, redish patina, traces of dark bronze patina Overall 22x8,5x8 cm Bronze 19,5x8,5x7 cm The sculpture reproduces a famous marble from the 1st century AD that was part of the Medici collection (now in the Uffizi Museum in Florence). Soldani Benzi produced bronze copies of classical sculptures from the Medici collection. His sculpture of the satyr after Medici marble was made in almost life-size dimensions for the Liechtenstein princes and, although its attribution has been debated, it is still preserved in the princes' collection in Vaduz. Soldani's foundry also reproduced smaller copies that are now at the center of attribution disputes. The replicas are characterized by the absence of the trunk to which, in the original version, the satyr is leaning, and by a reddish transparent patina typical of the ancient Tuscan productions, the characteristics present also in this lot. Bibliography Die Bronzen der Furstlichen Sammlung Liechtenstein, Lieberghaus-Museum alter Plastik, Frankfurt a.m. 1986, pp. 228-29.
MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI-BENZI 1656 Montevarchi - 1740 ibidem DANCING FAUN WITH TSCHINELLEN Bronze, black patinated, on square plinth and marble base (h. 4,5 cm). Overall h. 59, w. 38, d. 22 cm, weight ca. 22,65 kg. Above round pedestal full-sculptured depiction of a dancing faun with his upper body bent forward. He has placed his right foot on a scabillum, holding a cymbal in his raised right hand and in his lowered left hand. After an antique marble sculpture in the Uffizi, Florence. Heavily rubbed and part. Loss of patina, base min. bumped. MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI-BENZI 1656 Montevarchi - 1740 ebenda TANZENDER FAUN MIT TSCHINELLEN Bronze, schwarz patiniert, auf quadratischer Plinthe und Marmorsockel (H. 4,5 cm). Ges.-H. 59, B. 38, T. 22 cm, Gew. ca. 22,65 kg. Über rundem Sockel vollplastische Darstellung eines tanzenden Fauns mit nach vorne gebeugtem Oberkörper. Er hat den rechten Fuß auf ein Scabillum gestellt, in der erhobenen rechten und der gesenkten linken Hand je ein Schallbecken haltend. Nach einer antiken Marmorskulptur in den Uffizien, Florenz. Stark ber. und part. Verlust der Patina, Sockel min. best..
Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, Triumph der Tugend über das Laster, Museumsreplik, Kunstguss Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, 1656-1740, nach der Bronzegruppe von Giambologna, 1529-1608, mit Florentia als Siegerin über Pisa, 1575, Florenz, Nackte Personifikation der Tugend, die kauernde Personifikation des Lasters besiegend, Kunstguss, bemalt, auf rechteckigem Sockel, H 28,5 cm, Original-Bronze um 1701/06, in der Prinzensammlung, Liechtenstein Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, Triumph of Virtue over Vice, museum replica, art casting Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, 1656-1740, after the bronze group by Giambologna, 1529-1608, with Florentia as victress over Pisa, 1575, Florence, Nude Personification of Virtue Defeating the Crouching Personification of Vice, art casting, painted, on rectangular base, height 28.5 cm, original bronze c. 1701/06, in the Prince's Collection, Liechtenstein
Property from a Swiss private collection Attributed to Massimiliano Soldani Benzi Florence 1656 - 1740 After the Antique The Dancing Faun bronze, on a wood base figure: 27.5cm., 14 3/4 in. base: 3.5cm., 1 1/2 in.
SOLDANI BENZI MASSIMILIANO (1656 - 1740). Workshop of. Executioner. Ebonized wood base with inclusion of a circular ""pietra paesina"" plaque: 21x15.5x15.5 cm. Sword blade replaced. Comparative literature: A. Radcliffe and C. Avery (eds.), ""Giambologna 1529-1608: Sculptor to the Medici"", exhibition catalogue, Royal Scottish Museum Edinburgh, Victoria and Albert Museum London, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, 1978 -1979, p. 100, No. 49; C. Avery, ""Soldani's mythological bronzes and his British clientele"", Sculpture Journal, XIV, 2005, pp. 8-29, pl. 12. This model, depicting an executioner holding a sword in his right hand and the head of St. John the Baptist in his left, represents a thematic variant (with the addition of the saint's head) of the famous ""Mars"" or ""Gladiator"" by Giambologna , one of the most iconic sculptural creations of the Flemish artist, the first version of which is probably datable to 1560's, if we consider that a 1575 inventory of the Guardaroba of Cardinal Ferdinando de'Medici, published by Giacomo de Nicola ( G. de Nicola, ""Notes on the National Museum of Florence-II. A Series of Small Bronzes by Pietro da Barga"" in ""The Burlington Magazines"", 1916, pp. 362-365), already lists a series of bronzes after Giambologna, by Pietro da Barga. The first direct documentation, however, remains that of the inventory of the Dresden Kunstkammer of 1587, which concerns the ""Mars"" donated directly by the artist to the Elector of Saxony Christian I. If the genesis of this famous model starts from afar, perhaps directly from the inspiration that Giambologna received from the vision of Bartolomeo Ammannati's ""Mars Gradivus"" (1559-1560) today in the Gallerie degli Uffizi, our model is a variant that can be temporally placed within the last group of Florentine ""heirs"" of the master of Douai, represented mainly by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1656-1740): the best known and highest quality model of the ""Executioner"", preserved at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin (n ° 8122) is attributed to him, a bronze to which our sculpture can be compared for the high quality surface finish and for the characteristically chiseled features of the head, as well as for the golden-reddish patina that highlights its Florentine origin. Among the other versions of the same model, attributed to Soldani Benzi or to his workshop, see one that passed on the English auction market in 2016.. Cm 14,00 x 37,50 x 14,00.
Property from the Collection of the late Philip Hewat-Jaboor Attributed to Massimiliano Soldani Benzi Florence 1656 - 1740 Athlete holding a vase bronze, on an ebonised wood base inlaid with hardstones bronze: 30.5cm., 12in. base: 9.5cm., 3¾in. Bid on Sotheby's
Isaak Duchemin (Fl. 19th Century) after Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (Italian, 1656-1740) After the Antique, Late 19th Century Dancing Faun with Cymbals bronze inscribed DUCHEMIN on base Height overall 24 inches. Property from the Estate of Charles and Lorraine Janda, Hinsdale, Illinois
MIT ZIMBELN TANZENDER FAUN Höhe: 28 cm. Gesamthöhe mit zweiteiligem Marmorsockel: 38 cm. Der Bildhauer war am Hof der Medici in Florenz für Plastiken und Medaillenherstellung tätig. Bei seinen Figuren orientierte er sich überwiegend an antiken Vorbildern, aber auch nach Werken von Michelangelo und Bernini. Die Gestalt nach antiken Vorbildern orientiert, die bewegte Körperhaltung auch durch den Manierismus der Zeit beeinflusst. Der nach unten gerichtete Kopf lässt annehmen, dass die Figur insgesamt für einen höheren Aufstellstandpunkt gedacht war. Oliv-braune Patina mit Resten eines schwarzen Lacküberzugs. (1251861) (11)
ADONIS, AFTER MASSIMILIANO BENZI Bronze sculpture, after a model by Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740). Italy, 18th/19th Century. Base with small bruises. Height: 33.5cm.
Italian, 19th century. After Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (Italian, 1656-1740), cast patinated bronze figure of a faun with two cymbals on a circular plinth and black marble base. Apparently unmarked. Approx. h. 13.5", dia. 65".
A bronze figure of the dancing faun with cymbals After the model by Massimiliano Soldani (Italian, 1656-1740) After the model by Massimiliano Soldani (Italian, 1656-1740)Marked 'Musée du Florence', on a plinth base, 11cm wide, 9.5cm deep, 29cm high (4in wide, 3 1/2in deep, 11in high) The original version of this sculpture in marble was first recorded in collection of Grand Duke of Tuscany, Florence 1665 and is now in Uffizi, Florence. Several other versions were discovered, and it became widely copied throughout the Grand Tour.
cm 38x46 Entro cornice in legno dipinto e dorato. L’opera, che descrive l’episodio del vecchio testamento che ha protagonisti la giovane schiava egiziana e il figlio scacciati da Sara moglie di Abramo, con il quale Agar aveva concepito Ismaele, primogenito del patriarca che ormai allo stremo delle forze vengono salvati dall’Arcangelo Michele inviato in loro soccorso da Dio, è accompagnata da una scheda critica di Riccardo Spinelli che la ascrive allo scultore barocco montevarchino Soldani Benzi comparandola con altri rilievi eseguiti dal maestro e scrive: “Il forte senso grafico del rilievo, con i contorni delle figure ben impressi nella creta, la fattura materica, quasi tagliente delle fronde dell'albero, così come il panneggiare scheggiato, con trapassi decisi, richiamano l'attività di medaglista del Solani, campo nel quale il maestro esordi, fornendo poi, nel corso della sua carriera, prove eccelse, gettando in bronzo alcuni dei capolavori del periodo tardo-barocco"; inoltre, una certa 'sgrammaticatura' nella figura dell'arcangelo che si presenta instabile sulle gambe e leggermente sproporzionato, così come la fattura abbreviata di Ismaele, dalla testa appena accennata, mi fanno pensare a un lavoro giovanile dello scultore - del quale, ancora nell'ottobre del 1679, il citato Mancini, scrivendo al Bassetti, ricordava la necessità di perfezionarsi nel modellare, "consistendo in questo l'essere perfetto nell'àrte", già padrone, tuttavia, di una tecnica sicura, di una mano fresca e felicissima.”, L’opera è provvista di attestato di libera circolazione.
(Montevarchi, 1656 - 1740) Cristo crocifisso con Vanitas Bronzo, croce in legno, base in marmo- usure, tracce di ossidazione, pochi graffi, la croce con tracce di tarlo Il Cristo, alt. cm 37, larg. cm 27 La croce, alt. cm 74 (con base alt. cm 90,5), larg. cm 41 A CRUCIFIXION WITH VANITAS BY THE WORKSHOP OF MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI BENZI, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY- WEAR, TRACES OF OXIDATION, FEW SCRATCHES, CROSS WITH TRACES OF WOODWORMS Provenienza: Firenze, collezione privata Il nostro bronzo, issato su una base in marmo ad evocare il Golgota, rientra in un'importante ed assai nota produzione attribuita all'attivitö di Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740) e della sua bottega negli anni della prima metö del XVIII secolo, produzione destinata per lo pi alla devozione privata. Caratterizzata da una tipologia efebica e longilinea derivata dal Giambologna, e poi coltivata dai suoi eredi ed ancora da Pietro Tacca e Antonio Susini, il carattere di questa figura assai riconoscibile: fu anche molto apprezzata visto che se ne conoscono esemplari in pi formati che vanno per lo pi dai 25 cm fino ai 40 cm circa. La qualitö dell'esecuzione alta, come indicano l'accurata definizione dell'anatomia (evidentemente molto vicina alla matrice originale) e la bellezza della finitura dai riflessi dorati. Molti i confronti possibili con il nostro bronzo: fra i pi noti quelli con il Cristo morto nel rilievo con la visione del Golgota di Santa Caterina dei Ricci 1717-1724 (Firenze, collezione Corsini) o ancora, per il trattamento dei particolari, con le Stigmate di Santa Veronica Giuliani del 1697 circa (Museo Nazionale di Firenze). Ma si guardi anche al Cristo con la Maddalena e un Angelo della chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli di Sala a Pistoia (G. Pratesi, 'Repertorio della scultura fiorentina del seicento e settecento', Torino 1993, vol. III, fig. 494).
Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1665 - 1740), nach, Satyr mit Zimbeln. Bronze, patiniert, auf farblich verschieden marmorierten Steinsockeln (geringf. best.), nach einer hellenistischen Marmorstatue aus den Uffizien, Florenz, Gesamt-H. 37,3 cm, Sockel 12 x 12 cm
Rare Doccia-Ginori painted porcelain relief plaque, Allegory of Summer after Massimiliano Soldani (1656-1740), 19th century Rectangular, modeled in high relief with an allegorical scene depicting Ceres in a chariot drawn by dragons traveling through a landscape in the company of putti before an allegorical group leading a yoke of oxen and holding aloft various agricultural implements, unmarked; in ebonized frame. H: 16, W: 22 in. (plaque) PROVENANCE: Property of a Main Line lady.
VÉNUS MÉDICIS ET ANTINOÜS DU BELVEDÈRE Atelier de Massimiliano SOLDANI-BENZI (1656-1740) Florence, début du XVIIIe siècle Matériaux Bronzes à patine brun nuancé Vénus : H. 39,5 cm Antinoüs : 38,5 cm
SOLDANI, MASSIMILIANO BENZI 1658 Florenz - Montevarchi 1740 (Nachfolger des 19. Jh.) Antiker Kämpfer Bronze, teils grün patiniert. Über einem runden, profillierten Sockel ganzfigurige Darstellung eines männlichen Aktes. In seiner rechten Hand hält er ein Schwert, seinen linken Arm mit Schild hat er erhoben, um nicht geblendet zu werden. Part. ber., H. 30 cm.
A Continental Bronze of a Dancing Faun with Cymbals, early 20th c., after Massimiliano Soldani (Italian, 1656-1740), figure with distinctive pointed ears and tail, height 12 1/4 in., width 5 1/2 in., depth 4 1/4 in.
By Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740), circa 1695-1700 Each on an integrally cast naturalistic base. Dark chocolate brown patina with reddish brown high points. 15 and 16 1/8 in. (38 and 41 cm.) high (2) LITERATURE COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: Bedfordshire Record Office, Lucas Papers, L30/8/28/24, Letter from Dr. J. Gerrard to the first Duke of Kent, 31 July, 1716. K. Lankheit, Florentinische Barockplastik - die Kunst am Hofe der letzten Medici - 1670-1743, Munich, 1962. C. Avery, 'Soldani's Small Statuettes after 'Old Master' Sculptures in Florence', Kunst des Barock in der Toskana, Munich, 1976, pp. 165-172. T. Friedman, 'Lord Harrold in Italy 1715-16: four frustrated commissions to Leoni, Juvarra, Chiari and Soldani', Burlington Magazine, November 1988, pp. 836-845. G. Pratesi ed., Repertorio della Scultura Fiorentina del Seicento e Settecento, Turin, 1993, III, figs. 495-498, 535-544. C. Avery, 'Soldani and his feathered friends: a new documentary chronology for his mythological groups', lecture given at the Society of Antiquaries, London, 8 July, 2002. NOTES Massimiliano Soldani Benzi was descended from a noble Tuscan family, and is considered to be the last great bronze-worker in the Florentine tradition stretching back to Ghiberti. His early training was in Rome, where he was sent by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and then in Paris, where he was asked to enter the service of Louis XIV, which he refused. In 1682 he returned to Florence and entered the Zecca - the grand-ducal mint - where he became director in 1688. Although Soldani continued to work at the mint for the next 40 years, it seems that he began to create sculptural groups - both religious and mythological - in the mid 1690s. Soldani's correspondence from this period until his death in 1740 shows that he actively marketed his bronze statuettes and groups to patrons across Europe (see, for example, the discussion in Avery, op. cit. ). Until now, the existence of these two compositions of Diana and Callisto and The Judgement of Paris were known only from variant examples executed in wax and Doccia porcelain (the wax version of the Diana and Callisto passed through Sotheby's, Florence, 21 October, 1976, lot 74; one porcelain version of The Judgement of Paris is listed as being in the Villa Cagnola, Gazzada in A. Mottola Molfino, L'Arte della Porcellana - Il Veneto e la Toscana, 1976, no. 470), and documentary references. The first of these references is from a letter written by Soldani on 21 November 1702 to his patron, Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. In the letter, Soldani offers the prince a list of what was probably his entire stock at the time: 19 bronze groups and a selection of 'small low reliefs after Bandinelli and other authors' (Avery, 2002, op. cit. ). From this list, the third item is described as 'Un Gruppo di 4 figure tonde, cioŠ Diana, Calisto e due Ninfe, con cani' ('A group of four figures in the round, that is, Diana, Callisto and two nymphs, with dogs'), and the fourth is 'Altro gruppo conpagno, cioŠ Paride con le tre Dee' (Another accompanying group, that is, Paris with the three goddesses). Whether Liechtenstein ever purchased the groups is not known, although they do not appear again in his correspondence with the sculptor, so it seems unlikely. Certainly, in 1716 Soldani is attempting to interest another patron in his work, this time in the bronze of The Judgement of Paris alone. In a letter dated 31 July 1716, Dr. Gerrard - tutor to Lord Harrold, who was on the Grand Tour - wrote to Harrold's father, the Duke of Kent, about the possible purchase of a bronze from Soldani. He praises the artist, saying '...we have seen several other very good sculptors, but this gentleman seems to be the best finisher and wants none of those qualifications I mentioned last, he hath begun and modelled in clay the Judgment of Paris, which seems to be executed with very good Invention and Judgment.... I proposed to him whether it would not do well if she should have the face of the famous Venus of Medici. If your Grace should like it he will make it exactly like in the idea of the face, for as for the posture, it must have a different situation, the figures, tho naked are modest. I send your Grace his account of that and another subject, which of the several figures he proposed, seemed to Md. Harrold the best...' (Bedford, op. cit. ). These references, and the bronzes themselves, provide fascinating insights into Soldani's creative process and the manner in which he attempted to promote his work among potential purchasers. Subtle differences in the two compositions - the bases, for example, are of marginally different sizes - and the seemingly unrelated choice of subjects suggest that the two compositions may have been conceived of independently, and that Soldani subsequently decided that they were more attractive as a decorative pair of multi-figure groups when he offered them to the Prince of Liechtenstein in 1702. The reference to the Judgement being 'begun and modelled in clay' in 1716 is no doubt another piece of salesmanship. By suggesting that the Judgement is a new work, Soldani is attempting to entice the Duke of Kent when the composition was, in fact, already at least 14 years old. Interestingly, there is no mention of the Diana and Callisto in the letter of 1716; perhaps this was merely because Lord Harrold did not like it. Whatever their subsequent history, the emergence of these beautifully finished bronzes represents an important addition to our knowledge of Soldani's work as a sculptor and bronze founder during one of his most important creative cycles. With their strong narrative content and the complex interraction of the figures, they are also a typical product of the grand-ducal court in the final flowering of the Florentine baroque period.
By Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656-1740), circa 1700 On an integrally cast naturalistic base decorated with grapes and vine leaves; the putto standing in contrapposto, holding a bow in the left hand, reaching for a arrow with the right and looking out to dexter; inscribed to the rear in white '87.' (?). With a transluscent reddish gold lacquer. 17 in. (43.5 cm.) high PROVENANCE Almost certainly Johann Adam Andreas, Prinz von Liechtenstein (1657-1712) Amelia Madel Collection, Vienna LITERATURE A. Laing, 'Newly discovered bronzes by Soldani from the Liechtenstein collection', Connoisseur, 1966, vol. 162, pp. 160-161. G. Pratesi, Repertorio della Scultura Fiorentina del Seicento e Settecento, Turin, 1993, fig. 532. COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: E. Tietze-Conrat, 'Die Bronzen der Furstlich Liechtensteinschen Kunstkammer', in Jahrbuch des Kunsthistorischen Instituts, vol. XI, Vienna, 1917. K. Lankheit, Florentinische Barockplastik, Munich, 1962, pp. 327-338. NOTES Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi was the most gifted sculptor of the late Florentine baroque. His bronzes - which are technically among the most accomplished bronzes ever produced - follow in the tradition first established by the Medici court sculptor Giambologna; the glistening reddish-gold surface evident on the present bronze is a direct descendant of the work of Antonio Susini, Giambologna's celebrated founder, 100 years earlier. Among Soldani's most important patrons was Johann Adam Andreas, Prinz von Liechtenstein, and there exists extensive correspondence between the two men from 1694 to 1709 relating to the Prince's commissioning and purchasing of bronzes from Soldani (for transcripts of this correspondence see Lankheit, loc. cit. ). As early as 1694/5, Soldani suggested producing putti in the style of Algardi or Fiammingo (Fran‡ois Duquesnoy), but it was not until 1707 that Soldani again wrote to say: 'Mi trove le forme fatte sopra alcuni Putti originali del fiammingo, e dell'Algardi, d'altezza di due palmi l'uno, chi siede, chi vola e chi in atto di tirare l'arco ('I have made models of some putti by Fiammingo and Algardi, which are two palmi [about 45cm] high. One is seated, one is flying, and the third is drawing his bow.', Lankheit, op. cit., p. 337). Although the Prince's response to this letter does not seem to have survived, Alistair Laing surmises in his article on the subject (Laing, op. cit. ) that Soldani must have convinced the Prince to order two of the three models mentioned above, and that they correspond to two bronzes listed in a 1767 inventory of the Liechtenstein collection. In that inventory, drawn up by the collection's Keeper, Vincenzo Fanti, numbers 86 and 87 are briefly described as 'Due fanciulli di bronzo, alti piedi I e once g' ('Two children in bronze, one foot nine inches high', see Laing, op. cit., p. 161). On this basis, the inscription on the reverse of the present bronze therefore represents the Liechtenstein inventory number. Although the Liechtenstein collection still boasts an incredible number of the Soldani bronzes bought by Johann Adam Andreas, the 'due fanciulli' had been sold or given away by the time of Tietze-Conrat's survey of the collection in 1917 ( op. cit. ).
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