Amore-Attis
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Amore-Attis (literally
With his most famous work, the bronze David (also in the Bargello), it is the main sculpture of his to carry a clear erotic charge, probably humorous. The figure has a variety of attributes that relate to classical iconography, but too many to allow a clear identification.[2]
Who?
The figure's wings are those of a
History
No documents survive to give the work's original location or commissioner, but it is probably the work referred to by
The poppy capsules on the belt symbolise sleep as well as being the heraldic symbol of the Bartolini Salimbeni family, though it has not yet been proven that that family definitely commissioned it. It was definitely not commissioned by Doni, since his family's fortunes were insufficient to commission such a fine bronze work, only rising in the 16th century. Its very particular iconography has not yet been fully explained but may suggest a very specific private commission, perhaps linked to cultured humanist circles in Florence.
In 1677 Cinelli wrote that he believed the work was a classical antiquity due to its pagan attributes and unbridled vital joy. It was also listed in a 17th-century inventory of works at
In the 18th century Pietro Bono Doni decided to sell the work to the Gallerie fiorentine for 600
Later art historians have almost unanimously accepted this attribution to Donatello, dating it to the time between his trip to Rome in 1433 and his departure for Padua in 1443, when he created works showing a deep knowledge of Greek and Roman antiquity, such as his famous David. In his essay Ritorno Amore, Francesco Caglioti criticised the dating to 1436–1438, comparing the work to the two putti candle-holders now in the Musée Jacquemart-André. A 2001-2005 restoration revealed the original patina (with the wings a different colour to the body) and major traces of the original gilding.
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The Attys Chiaramonte, ancient statue ofMusei Vaticani
Notes
- ^ (in German) Rolf C. Wirtz, Donatello, Könemann, Colonia 1998. ISBN 3-8290-4546-8
- ^ Jones, 13; Coonin, 149-151
- ^ Paolozzi Strozzi
- ^ (in Italian) Edgard Wind, Misteri pagani del Rinascimento, pag.246 ed. Adelphi 1985
- ^ (in Italian) Andrea Ciaroni and Charles Avery, Dai Medici al Bargello: Il Bronzi del Rinascimento, il Quattrocento, 2007.
References
- Coonin, A. Victor, Donatello and the Dawn of Renaissance Art, 2019, Reaktion Books, ISBN 9781789141306
- ISBN 97818949833929 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: length
External links
- (in Italian) "Exhibition after its restoration".
- (in Italian) "Catalogue entry".