After Massimiliano Soldani; 19th century

After MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI BENZI (Montevarchi, 1656 – Petrolo, 1740); 19th century.
“Faun” and “youth.”
Bronze with a marble base.
One of them has been restored in the marble.
Measurements: 40 x 26 x 15 cm; 38 x 25 x 11 cm.

Based on models from the works of Massimiliano Soldani and inspired by classical antiquity, this refined pair of bronze busts with a brown patina, mounted on white marble pedestals, reflects the interest that classical art aroused among European sculptors and collectors in the 17th and 18th centuries. The depictions of a faun and a young man, characterized by delicate modeling and exceptional technical quality, evoke the themes and aesthetics of ancient prototypes, reinterpreted with the virtuosity characteristic of the Florentine bronze tradition. The close relationship between these works and the models popularized by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi finds a significant parallel in the Satyr housed in the University of Michigan art collection, cataloged under inventory number 1970/1.193, a piece that stands as one of the most representative examples of the survival and dissemination of this iconographic type in bronze sculpture of the Florentine tradition.

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi was one of the most prominent sculptors and medalists of the Italian Baroque period. Trained at the Accademia del Disegno in Florence under the patronage of the Medici, he completed his apprenticeship in Rome with Ciro Ferri and Ercole Ferrata, and in Paris with the celebrated medalist Joseph Roettiers. In 1688, he was appointed Master of the Mint of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, a position he held for much of his career from his workshop located in the Uffizi. A specialist in bronze casting, he achieved extraordinary prestige for the technical excellence of his sculptures, reliefs, and medals, which were considered among the finest European works of his time. In addition to original compositions on religious and mythological themes, he created refined bronze versions of famous sculptures from classical antiquity and works by masters such as Michelangelo and Bernini, intended for some of Europe’s most important collectors, including the Prince of Liechtenstein. His exceptional technical mastery, the elegance of his compositions, and the exquisite finish of his works place him among the leading figures of Florentine sculpture in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.