Attributed to Francesco Fanelli (1577-1661?), circa 1640-1660 The Abduction of Dejanira by the Centaur Nessus Bronze group Resting on a later period wooden base H. 41 cm (16 in.) H. (with base) : 52 cm (20 ½ in.) l. 26.5 (10 ½ in.) P. 16 cm (6 in.) Provenance : French private collection. Bibliographical references : J. Pope-Hennessy, Some Bronze Statuettes by Francesco Fanelli, reproduced in Essays on Italian Sculpture, New York and London, 1968, pp. 166-171. Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Renaissance Bronzes from Ohio Collections, 1975, W. Wixom, no. 151. W. Bode, The Art Collection of Mr. Alfred Beit at His Residence 26 Park Lane London, Berlin, 1904, as 'Imitator of Giambologna'. A bronze group of Nessus and Deianira, attributed to Francesco Fanelli (1577-1661?), circa 1640-1660 *Information for buyers : Lot from outside the EEC: to the commissions and taxes indicated in the general terms and conditions of purchase, import VAT (5.5% of the hammer price) must be added. *Information to the buyers : Lot from outside the EEC : an import tax (5,5 % of the hammer price) will be due, in addition to the commissions and taxes indicated in the general conditions of purchase. The bronze sculpture of Nessus and Dejanira attributed to Francesco Fanelli is an emblematic work of the 17th century. The group illustrates the mythological legend of Nessus, a centaur, and Dejanira, the wife of Hercules. After defeating Acheloüs, Hercules entrusted Dejanira to the centaur Nessus, who had offered to take her across the river Evene. Deeply in love with the princess, the centaur tried to kidnap her by returning to the other bank of the river. Hearing Dejanira's cries for help, Hercules shot the centaur with an arrow poisoned with the blood of the Hydra. As he was about to die, Nessus told Deianira to collect his blood, which would one day be used as a love elixir. Anyone wearing a garment smeared with this blood would love her forever. Little is known about the life and training of Francesco Fanelli (1577-c.1661). Probably originally from Florence, he set up his workshop in Genoa around 1605, producing mainly bronzes with religious subjects. In 1635, he received a pension from Charles I and went to England, becoming the sculptor to the Royal Court. He created large bronzes with mythological and religious subjects for the court. His output was quite varied, as he worked in ivory, metal, marble and bronze. According to the archives, the quality of his bronzes was superior at the time to those produced by most artists in the rest of Northern Europe, which is no doubt why he attracted so many commissions. It is important to note that Fanelli reused his moulds in order to reproduce several versions of the same model. The Victoria & Albert museum in London has versions of several small bronzes by the artist, described as "ffrancisco the one-eyed Italian" in an inventory of Whitehall Palace in 1639. George Vertue declared that Fanelli "lived and died in England"; his last document dates from 1641 and is thought to have died shortly afterwards. The group shown here, depicting the episode in the story of Nessus and Dejanira, can be attributed to Francesco Fanelli. In this model, the artist perfectly transcribes the emotional depth of the frenzied struggle between Nessus and Dejanira, both in the treatment of the modelling and proportions and in the details of the chasing, particularly on the faces, leaving the impression of wax that is typical of Fanelli.