1500~ / 1505~, Mantua

1500~ / 1505~, Mantua

Identifier
55.93
Transfer of custody
Victoria and Albert Museum
Acquisition
Edith Perry Chapman Fund, 1955
Collection
Technique
Depiction
Dimension
18.7 cm (height)
19.7 cm (width)
Production time
Production place

Description

The artist's adopted nickname, Antico, refers to his lifelong work revitalizing and perpetuating the sculpture of antiquity. He is known above all for bronze statuettes of exquisite detail and refinement that reproduce compositions of famous classical statuary. Though a prototype has not been identified, this robust nude-among his largest statuettes-probably represents the Trojan prince Paris deciding which of three goddesses was the most beautiful. He chooses Venus, giving her his golden apple. The smooth flesh, elegantly chased features, and gilt and silvered highlights are good indications of why Antico's best bronzes remain among the most sought-after of all early Renaissance statuettes.