AFTER GIAMBOLOGNA (ITALIAN, 1529-1608): A PATINATED BRONZE FIGURE OF VENUS AFTER THE BATH

Giambologna was one of the most influential sculptors of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His style became well known throughout Europe, disseminated through his small statuette bronzes and under the patronage of the Medici family in Florence, although he originated from Flanders. Giambologna was greatly influenced by antique forms, having studied these in Rome from 1550-1553. In the body of work attributed to him, the figure figure of Venus bathing was widely used as means to explore the 'figura serpentinata'. This Mannerist composition technique, characterised by a spiral twisting human figure, creates a sense of dynamic motion that encourages views to observed from all angles.