ATTRIBUTED TO MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI-BENZI (MONTEVARCHI 1656-1740 GALATRONA)ITALIAN, FLORENCE, CIRCA 1701-1706 | Florence Triumphant over Pisa

Purchased in London in the 1950s and 1960s;
by descent to the present owner

Golden light brown patina beneath dark greenish brown opaque lacquer. Standard surface abrasions. Beautifully finished.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The marble group Florence triumphant over Pisa, popularly known as Virtue Triumphant over Vice, was commissioned by Francesco de’ Medici from Giambologna (carved between 1563 and 1570) for the Grand Duke's wedding, to be placed in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence; it is now in the Bargello. The sculpture was also meant to be a companion piece to Michelangelo’s stone sculpture Genius of Victory, which in the seventeenth century was often  called The Triumph of Virtue over Vice.  The triumph is expressed by a gesture of physical dominance. The female, representing Florence, overpowers the cowering, chained male figure below, representing Pisa, by placing her knee on his back. The closely interwoven figures create a spiraling pyramidal composition for which the Mannerist master, Giambologna, was celebrated.  

Soldani's bronze was among the twelve copies of the most famous statues of Florence that the sculptor offered to Prince Johann Adam of Liechtenstein in 1706. Other casts are known including a version by Soldani, with a different base, in the Frick Collection, New York. 

RELATED LITERATURE
Charles Avery, 'Soldani's Small Bronze Statuettes after 'Old Master' Sculpture in Florence' in Kunst des Barock in der Toskana, Munich, 1976, pp. 165-172;
C. Avery, Giambologna - The Complete Sculpture, Oxford, 1987, no. 17, p. 25;
Laura Camins, Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Abbott Guggenheim Collection, exhibition catalogue, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco,  3 Mar. – 11 Sep. 1988, nos. 37 and 109-111; 
M. Schwartz, ed., European Sculpture from the Abbott Guggenheim Collection, New York, 2008, pp. 112-113, no. 35