Circle of Michelangelo (1475-1564) Italian, Florentine, mid-16th century

Alfred Beit, London, by 1904,
thence by inheritance to his brother, Otto John Beit, 1st Baronet 1924,
thence by descent to his son, Sir Alfred Lane Beit, 2nd Baronet,
and thence by inheritance to his widow, Lady Clementine Mabell Kitty Beit (née Mitford),
by whom donated to the Alfred Beit Foundation, 2005
by whom sold, Christie's London, 7 December 2006, lot 155

W. Bode, The Art Collection of Mr. Alfred Beit at His Residence 26 Park Lane London, Berlin, 1904 (as ‘Benvenuto Cellini’)
W. Bode, The Italian bronze statuettes of the renaissance. Vol III. Masters of the late renaissance, 1912, p. 23, pl. CCLVII
W. Bode, Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures and Bronzes in the Possession of Mr. Otto Beit, London, 1913, p. 108, no. 217
W. Bode, The Italian bronze statuettes of the renaissance, rev. ed. by James D. Draper, 1980, p. 83 and 110, pl. CCLVII

Overall the condition of the bronze is good. There is some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. An old black lacquer patina has been rubbed off throughout. Sections of an attribute and the tips of the fingers of the proper right hand may be lost. There are a few minor casting flaws causing some roughness to the surface.
"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."

This is seemingly the only cast of a male nude, described as Adam by Bode. The scholar identified a pendant, an Eve in a private collection in Como (op.cit. Bode 1980, p. 83), which he related to bronze groups of Virtue overcoming Vice attributed by him to Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) on the basis of their similarity with the artist’s Perseus in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

The partially unfinished surface of the figure and the waxy treatment of the head and hair indicate that this bronze was cast in order to preserve a wax model. In the 16^th century there was a desire to collect modelli and bozzetti from artists studios by making casts after them. This was certainly true of sketches and models by Michelangelo. A bronze statuette of David in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for example, is thought to have been realized after a model by the Florentine master (op.cit. Scholten/ Verber, pp. 54-56). A wax modello for the David in Casa Buonarotti (inv. no. 521) shows similarities with the present bronze, especially the position of the figure’s left arm. Another wax (inv. no. 519) in the same museum shows a figure in a comparable exaggerated contrapposto.

The base relates to bronzes from the workshop of Giuseppe de Levis (Verona 1552 - 1611/14), a bronze-founder specialized in ornamental works of art.

RELATED LITERATURE
Francesco Salviati o la Bella Maniera, exh. cat. Villa Medici, Rome and Musée du Louvre, Paris, Milan, 1998, p. 104, no. 12; P. Ragionieri, I bozzetti michelangioleschi della Casa Buonarroti, Florence, 2000; F. Scholten and M. Verder, From Vulcan’s Forge, exh. cat. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, London, 2005, pp. 54-56, no. 12