North Italian, Milan or Veneto, circa 1569

cast in on the cartouche: 15.GF.69, inscribed on the rim: 15 C.M.E. A.T.E.G.F. 93. and on the lid: CMEATEGF 1593; the arms on the lid probably those of Wagner von Nestelwang and Rennenberg of Westphalia

Overall the condition of the bronze is good with wear and some minor dirt to the surface consistent with age with particular wear and scratching to the patina of the lid, edges and underside consistent with handling. The bronze was probably lacquered at a later date with some small blotches around the edges. A section of the upper edge of the vessel was warped, the surface surrounding it is rough. There are some minor lacunae to the thicker section of the bronze, including the underside of the vessel and the underside of the rim of the lid.
"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 fine bronze bowl compares with the 16th-century Milanese Annoni-Visconti Marriage Bowl in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (WA 1997.82). The quality of the casting and the arrangement of the decorative frieze, in which vegetal mofifs are interspersed with coats of arms and figures, is very close to that seen on the present bowl. There is another similar bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. M.687-1910). It has been suggested that the type of grotesque ornamentation seen on each of these bronzes ultimately derives from the motifs employed by 16th-century hardstone carvers such as Annibale Fontana (1540-1687) and the Miseroni and Saracchi workshops (Bayer, op. cit., no. 50). Similar ultilitarian bronzes adorned with classicising decoration were cast by Giuseppe de Levis (1552-1611/14) and his sons in the Veneto from the late 16th century onwards.

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Bayer (ed.), Art and Love in Renaissance Italy, exh. cat Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2008, p. 122-123, no. 50