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Andrea Riccio

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Shepherd with Syrinx probably after 1510 (?) Bronze Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des Objets d’Art Cat. No. 21

The Louvre Shepherd is among Riccio’s most sublime treatments of the classical male nude. The figure’s lithe body recalls ancient sculptures of youthful gods. Its rustic subject, however, derives from classical poetry. Riccio combines these sources and endows his new invention with Renaissance psychological complexity. Apparently relaxed, the Shepherd draws in his left leg, stretches his right, and gently sets aside his syrinx. Yet, his expectant gaze and furrowed brow convey an abrupt shift in mood. The body is at ease, but the movements of his features convey rich inner life. This exhibition gathers for the first time for comparison the four seated nudes with syrinxes associated with Riccio.

Seated Shepherd (Daphnis?) c. 1520 Bronze The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Cat. No. 22

This Shepherd possibly derives from the same model as the Louvre Shepherd but varies in pose, mood, and surface treatment. Meant for placement on a scholar’s desk, both nudes sit with their backs curved and legs unfolded. Here the shepherd holds the syrinx in his left hand near to his mouth rather than at his side. He has withdrawn his instrument as if to listen to something in the distance. His sketchily modeled eyes produce an elevated, dreamy gaze, quite unlike the concentration indicated by the creased forehead and focused eyes of the Louvre statuette.

After a model by Riccio, possibly reworked and cast by Desiderio da Firenze Inkstand with a Faun, called “Pan Listening to Echo” 1530–40 Bronze with silvered eyes Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Cat. No. 23

This beautiful statuette exemplifies how later artists adapted Riccio’s models to fashion new compositions. Like its counterparts, this nude figure holds a syrinx in one hand and sits with one leg tucked in and the other outstretched. Like the Walters Shepherd, he holds his instrument close to his mouth but turns his attention elsewhere. Yet, the subject and function of this statuette are different. No longer an idealized shepherd, the figure bears the small horns, pointed ears, and tufted tail of a classical faun. The basin on its thigh transforms the figure into an elaborate inkwell. On a scholar’s desk, the classical, poetic Faun provided both the inspiration and the means for writing.

After a model by Riccio Seated Faun with Syrinx c. 1530 or after (?) Bronze with silvered eyes The Quentin Foundation Cat. No. 24

The Faun is a recently discovered, later variant of Riccio’s seated shepherd model. The unknown artist has transformed Riccio’s inventive subject into a mythological being. Though this Faun nearly replicates the pose of Riccio’s Walters Shepherd, the contrast between the Faun’s generalized musculature and meticulous detail, like the syrinx’s bindings, reflects a later aesthetic. The silvered eyes and rough surface also imitate the physical appearance of ancient bronzes more overtly than was typical of Riccio. This classicizing reformulation of Riccio’s composition was likely made to satisfy collectors’ demands for ancient statuettes.

Goat Crowned with a Wreath of Laurel c. 1510 (?) Bronze Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia, Rome Cat. No. 5

The goat was a popular model and numerous bronze versions of varying quality exist. Riccio’s authorship of the model is debated. In the exhibition, stylistic comparison of the two Goats with Riccio’s animal relief sculptures will help evaluate their attribution to the master. This Goat’s leafy crown identifies it as a beast of sacrifice. Ritual slaughter of male goats was common to pagan and Old Testament traditions. The dual classical and biblical reference is typical of Riccio. Also characteristic is the lively rendering of details in the wax that are freshly preserved in the bronze cast. Considered the best of the bronze versions, the Palazzo Venezia Goat is the touchstone for a Riccio attribution.

After a model by Riccio Goat Crowned with a Wreath of Vine late sixteenth or seventeenth century (?) Bronze Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Kunstkammer Cat. No. 6

Like its counterpart, the Vienna Goat probably derives from a wax model attributed by many experts, but not all, to Riccio. The Vienna Goat differs from the Palazzo Venezia cast. Its foliate crown is vine, not laurel, and its underbelly is bare, not tufted. These variations between the Goats are typical of creative changes executed on wax models in preparation for casting. Although the Vienna Goat was long deemed the finest bronze example, recent technical study surprisingly determined that it was cast well after Riccio’s death. Does this beautiful bronze preserve Riccio’s original idea, or was it made later in emulation of another early sixteenth-century master’s work? Continue >>>

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