catalog text
ITALIAN GRAND TOUR BRONZE MODEL OF "IL PORCELLINO"
After the Antique, circa 19th century
Item # C104004
A Grand Tour era model of The Borghese Boar situated over a rectangular black marble base, this 19th century model is cast after the Hellenistic marble also broadly known as Il Porcellino. The original was found in Rome in 1556, this subsequently being moved to Florence where it was given as a gift from Pope Pius IV to Cosimo I de'Medici; it is presently held in the collection of the Uffizi Museum.
During the second quarter of the 17th century, the Baroque master Pietro Tacca sculpted and cast in bronze a model of the boar as a garden fountain for Cosimo II de'Medici, this model now held in the permanent collection of Museo Bardini. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds in its permanent collection a late 17th century reduction of the marble in bronze measuring 7" x 8 1/4" (acc. no. 64.101.1451).
The present model is notable for the unusually fine quality of execution: expert casting quality with fine chiseling and texturing of the surfaces with a translucent overall black patination.
Provenance:
- A Virginia collection
- Christies, London, Sale 4950, 11 April 2006
Measurements: 7 3/4" H [total] 6 5/8" H [bronze] x 4 3/8" D [base] x 8" W [base]
Condition Report:
Chips to early marble base. Minor spots of patina wear. A very fine presentation.