19th Century, Flying Mercury Sculpture in Bronze

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19th Century, Flying Mercury Sculpture in Bronze

About the Item

19th century, by Giambologna (1529-1608) Flying mercury Bronze cm alt. 43.5 x 9 x 9 Son of Jupiter and divine messenger, Mercury-Hermes was protector of sailors and travelers, as well as champion in athletic prowess and mediator between men and gods. His usual attributes, talari (sandals) and petaso, garments of travellers, are enriched by a subtlety symbolism that reveals itself in praise of intelligence: above all the caducèo, symbol of the eternal human dualism between good and evil, that the god keeps in balance with his wand, later borrowed from alchemy and pharmacy to symbolize the eternal coexistence of cures and poisons. The wings on the petaso, on the other hand, metaphorize the will to soar above earthly occupations. The present Mercury is driven by the breath of Zephyr, rendered in gilded bronze, like the attributes of the god. The bronze, from the nineteenth-century school, is inspired by the flying Mercury of the Bargello made by Jean de Boulogne known as Giambologna (Douai, 1529 - Florence, 1608). A highly esteemed Mannerist sculptor, Giambologna first trained in his native land with the sculptor Jean Dubroeucq; he then reached Rome, as witnessed by the two biographers Raffaello Borghini and Filippo Baldinucci, where he could admire the excellence of Michelangelo and the most up-to-date Italian figurative culture. When he moved to Florence in 1552, Giambologna joined the noble patron Bernardo Vecchietti, who introduced him to the future Grand Duke Francesco I and the Medici court. On the basis of these fortunate visits, the artist obtained from the papal delegate Cesi the commission of a bronze Mercury to be placed in the Archiginnasio of Bologna, to figure indicating heaven, as a reminder of the divine origin of wisdom. The project remained in a model state (preserved at the Civic Museum of Bologna), and although Giambologna never delivered an actual bronze to Cesi, he donated it, replicating the model, to many other patrons. The Medici, for example, requested him a Mercury to give to Emperor Maximilian II of Habsburg on the occasion of the wedding between these sister Giovanna and Francesco I de' Medici: from the order two bronzes were born, Today they are kept at the Günes Gewölbe in Dresden and the Kunsthisorisches Museum in Vienna. Giambologna also made a bronze for the monumental fountain of Cardinal Ferdinando I de' Medici, enriching it this time with the head of Zephyr blowing the god into the sky, unprecedented compared to previous versions. This Mercury (1580) can be admired today in the collections of the National Museum of the Bargello in Florence, and from it is borrowed the present work, equally embellished by the addition by Zephyr, the west wind.

Similar to:
Giambologna (Sculptor)
Dimensions:
Height: 17.33 in (44 cm)Width: 3.55 in (9 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Molded,Polished
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
19th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Milan, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5918232471102