Circle of Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656 - 1740) | Entourage de Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (1656 - 1740)

This fine group depicts Bacchus and Ariadne on a beautifully decorated lapis lazuli and Belgian black marble base. The compositional scheme of the silvered bronze compares closely to a terracotta modello attributed to the Florentine artist Massimo Soldani-Benzi, which was made for a bronze or porcelain group, neither of which have survived (Heim gallery, 1969, op. cit.). The present figures sit similarly on a rocky base, facing one another, and are surrounded by putti and an animal (in the terracotta group by Bacchus’ emblematic animal, the goat, and here by Ariadne’s panther). In addition, the drapery of the figure of Ariadne is similarly arranged. The integral base of the bronze is adorned with detailed theatre masks, which relate to the frames of a pair of wax sketches by Soldani in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A.1-1963).

RELATED LITERATURE

Heim London, Baroque Art for the Collector, Autumn Exhibition, London, 1969, no. 61