BRONZE SCULPTURE, HOPE ALLEGORY. AFTER GIAMBOLOGNA, POSSIBLY EARLY 17TH CENTURY.
Antiques - Sculpture
Reference: ZF1523
Hope. Gilded bronze. Possibly early 17th century, following the model of Juan de Bolonia (1529-1608). With inscription on base (“Speransa”). Minor flaws and restoration. A gilded bronze figure with a simple base engraved with the name of the allegory, depicting a young lady, joining her hands in a gesture of prayer, dressed in a tunic and cloak, barefoot and with a crown of leaves on her head. Iconographically, the allegory has been identified thanks to the inscription on the base (“Speransa,” meaning Hope), as it lacks any iconographic attributes beyond the aforementioned gesture of prayer. However, the inspiration and closeness of this figure to the allegory of Hope created between 1582 and 1584 by Giambologna (Douai, 1529 – Florence, 1608) for the Grimaldi Chapel in the church of San Francesco di Castelletto in Genoa is clear. This earlier work, now housed at the University of Genoa, was part of a set of six life-size bronze allegorical figures of Virtues. It is also worth mentioning the existence of several small gilded bronze sculptures made in Europe following models by Giambologna, such as the one in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (inventory A.60-1956), which is 13.5 cm high and considered a German or Dutch creation from the first half of the 17th century. Weight: 606 grams.
· Size: 5x4,5x18,5 cms.
1.200 €
