Circle of Andrea Briosco, called Il Riccio (1470-1532) Italian, Padua, circa 1530-1540

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good. There is minor wear to the patina consistent with age. There are some signs of fissure at the waist and the proper right upper arm. Some pegs and casting pins are missing particularly at the legs and the proper left temple. At the left temple there is also some greening to the patina, which is also visible behind the ears and in the vent on the top of the head.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Satyress is closely related to a similar cast of the same model, which is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and forms a pair with a male satyr (Untermyer collection, accession no. 64-101-1415 and 64-101-1416; formerly Richard von Kaufmann collection, sold Paul Cassirer & Hugo Helbing, Berlin, 4 December 1917, lot 214). The satyress in New York is shown holding a lyre in her right hand, and with her left hand resting on a vase; the satyr symmetrically holds panpipes in his left and grasps the handle of a standing vase with his right. Traditionally attributed to the eminent Paduan bronze sculptor Andrea Riccio, the pair in New York has more recently been absorbed into the oeuvre of Desiderio da Firenze, however the discussion of the model's attribution continues.  Seen by several scholars as Riccio's foremost follower, Manfred Leithe-Jasper has questioned the legitimacy of constructing a figurative oeuvre for this master, who is documented only as a caster of a voting urn and the cover of a baptismal font (the latter after Tiziano Minio's model). The present satyress follows the anatomical ideal of the human (and half-human) figure developed by Riccio, with its broad shoulders, relatively small breasts, the crisp hair on the legs and three-dimensionally articulated upper two pairs of bones of the sternum. The fact that the leaf covering the genitalia was cast together with the human figure, however, points to the generation of Riccio's followers.

RELATED LITERATURE
B. Jestaz, "Desiderio da Firenze, bronzier à Padoue au XVIe siècle, ou le faussaire de Riccio," Monuments Piot, 84, 2005, pp. 99-171, in particular p. 121 & fig. 21; J. Warren, "'The Faun Who Plays on the Pipes': A New Attribution to Desiderio da Firenze", Small Bronzes in the Renaissance, ed. by D. Pincus, Washington, DC & New Haven, Connecticut, 2001, pp. 82-103; M. Leithe-Jasper, review of "Small Bronzes in the Renaissance," Burlington Magazine, 144, 2002, pp. 760-761