STRIDING BULL Florence, early 17th century. After a model by Giambologna (1529–1608). Bronze with reddish-brown patina and traces of gold lacquer. Naturalistic design of a bull with its left front leg raised, its head with curly fur turned slightly to the left, and its tail lying on its back. On a rectangular, ebonized wooden plinth. H 19 cm, L 23 cm (without plinth). Bronze rubbed and with slight scratches. On the rear side of the belly, a repaired casting defect. Certificate: Expert opinion by Prof. Sandro Bellesi (Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze), December 2024. Listed there as a work by Antonio Susini. Provenance: - Private collection, Paris. - Italian ownership. The model for this striding bull can be found in the work of one of the most famous sculptors of the Renaissance, Giovanni da Bologna, known as Giambologna. According to literature, Giambologna was inspired by ancient models. Models of striding bulls found their way into the collections of the world's most important museums, whereby two different types can generally be distinguished, both of which are attributed to the artist Giambologna. A more naturalistic version, such as the one offered here, shows the bull with a massive build and a broad, detailed head, and a more stylized version with a slightly lighter body, slimmer legs, and a narrow, elongated head. Versions of the first type are rarer. A very fine example can be found in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence (inv. no. 187B), illustrated in Charles Avery: Giambologna. The complete sculpture. Oxford 1987, p. 61, fig. 67. Like another bronze in the Hill Collection, which is almost identical to the one in the Bargello, it has the oval base typical of Giambologna's early animal bronzes (cf. Patricia Wengraf: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes. From the Hill Collection. London 2014, pp. 118/119). Anthony Radcliffe and Nicholas Penny suspect that the bull in the Bargello is the version for Cosimo I de Medici, which was first documented in 1573 (Anthony Radcliffe, Nicholas Penny: Art of the Renaissance Bronze. 1500–1650. The Robert H. Smith Collection. London 2004, 176-178). The second model was much more widespread. Radcliffe and Penny suspect that this is a version refined by Antonio Susini (1558–1624) when Susini was still working in Giambologna's workshop. A well-documented version of this bull attributed to Susini is in the Robert H. Smith Collection in London (Radcliffe/Penny 2014, p. 176). The Museo Nazionale del Bargello also has a variant of this bull cast by Susini (inv. no. 277B) (Patricia Wengraf: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes. From the Hill Collection. London 2014, p. 122, figure 2). Further examples are in the Württembergisches Landesmuseum Stuttgart (illustrated in H.R. Weihrauch: Europäische Bronzestatuetten. Berlin 1967, p. 227, fig. 275) and in the V&A London (inv. no. A.75-1949). Both are dated to between 1550 and 1620. Antonio Susini initially completed his training with Felice Traballesi before joining Giambologna's workshop, where he further developed his skills in bronze casting. He worked with Giambologna until founding his own studio in 1600. Even after founding his workshop, Susini remained closely associated with Giambologna. Until the latter's death in 1608, his models continued to play a central role in his work. During this period, he specialized in small to medium-sized bronze statues, a significant part of his work representing animal statues based on designs by Giambologna and ancient models. A written expert opinion by Prof. Sandro Bellesi (Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze) dated December 2024 suggests that Antonio Susini was the caster of the bull on offer. The object was presented at TEFAF in Maastricht. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *, i.e. VAT is charged on the sum will be refunded to Purchasers providing a validly stamped export declaration.