Italian, probably Florence, late 16th/ 17th century

Overall the condition of the bronze is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The surface was probably repatinated. There are very small lacunae throughout. There are minor fissures, including to the club. There is dirt to the crevices. There are a few chips and a few stable open veins to the base. There is a matt treatment to the base.
"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 only other known cast of the present bronze was attributed to Vincenzo de Rossi by Herbert Keutner in the bronze exhibition Die Beschwörung des Kosmos (op.cit.). The proposed Florentine origin is certainly likely as this bronze's unusual pose, with the club diagonally across the hero's chest, seems to be based on a statue of Hercules made circa 1503 by Guiliano da Sangallo to decorate the Palazzo Gondi. De Rossi is known to have worked on a series of the Labours of Hercules for Duke Cosimo I in the 1560s but the closest comparison from De Rossi's oeuvre is his statuette of Vulcan in the Studiolo of Francesco I in Palazzo Vecchio. This shares with the present bronze the closely cropped hairstyle and exaggerated musculature, most notably in the legs, but the former sculpture is ultimately of a more dynamic nature.

RELATED LITERATURE
G. Leintz and H. Frosien-Leinz, Die Beschwörung des Kosmos. Europäische Bronzen der Renaissance, exhib. cat. Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg, Duisburg, 1994, pp. 129-130, no. 48