After Giambologna (1529-1608) Flemish, 17th/ 18th century

The condition of the wood is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The pipes have been replaced and the mouthpiece is made of brass. There is stable splitting to the wood, consistent with the material. There is some paint residue to the base and there is remaining polychromy to the underside.
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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 charming sculpture derives from a model created by Giambologna. It is known that Giambologna designed a bronze of ‘uno Pastore che suona la piva’ that was sent from the Grand Duke Cosimo II de’ Medici as a diplomatic present to Henry Prince of Wales in 1611; this description almost certainly corresponds with the present model. The Seated Bagpiper, initially produced in metal and in small dimensions, is a subtle composition with a complex interplay of angular forms, characteristic of Giambologna. Its similarities to Dürer’s engraving of 1514 showing a standing Bagpiper cross-legged, suggests that the sculptor knew the print and looked back to his Netherlandish roots when creating a sculpture with a rustic subject.

The Seated bagpiper, with its unusual subject, was a popular model and several examples in bronze are known, including those in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A.59-1956) and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (inv. no. M.2-1961).

RELATED LITERATURE
K. Watson and C. Avery, ‘Medici and Stuart: a Grand Ducal gift’, Burlington Magazine, 115 1973; C. Avery, Giambologna. The complete sculpture, Oxford, 1987, p. 47