WORKSHOP OF GIAMBOLOGNA (1529-1608), LATE 16TH OR EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Details

A BRONZE GROUP OF SUSANNAH AFTER THE BATH
WORKSHOP OF GIAMBOLOGNA (1529-1608), LATE 16TH OR EARLY 17TH CENTURY
Depicted crouching and looking up in surprise; on an integrally cast circular plinth and later ormolu-mounted cylindrical alabastro marino and trets marble pedestal; medium brown patina with extensive traces of a reddish-gold lacquer; cracks and very minor chips to pedestal
4 in. (10.2 cm.) high; 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm.) high, overall

Provenance

Purchased by Alfred Beit (1853-1906) by 1904.
Thence by descent to Lady (Clementine) Beit (1915-2005) by whom donated to the Alfred Beit Foundation in 2005.

Literature

W. Bode, The Art Collection of Mr. Alfred Beit at His Residence 26 Park Lane London, Berlin, 1904, as 'Giambologna'.
W. Bode, Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures and Bronzes in the Possession of Mr. Otto Beit, London, 1913, p. 106, no. 203, as 'Gian Bologna'.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
C. Avery, Giambologna - The Complete Sculpture, Oxford, 1987, pp. 47, 260, pl. 46.
Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Giambologna - gli dei, gli eroi, 2 Mar. - 15 Jun. 2006, p. 201, no. 19.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

This small bronze is sometimes referred to as Susannah, the Apocryphal figure who was surprised by two lecherous men as she bathed in her garden. It is more generally referred to simply as a 'kneeling nymph in an attitude of fear'. Although based on antique sources, the composition is an original invention of Giambologna's. A particularly fine example is in the Bargello, Florence. For an entry on the latter, see the catalogue for the recent Giambologna exhibition in Florence (loc. cit.).

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