Young Acrobat

Object belonging

One's own

Category

Bronze sculpture

City

Rome

Location

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia

Specific location

Room 16

Inventory

PV 09249

Material and technique

Bronze, natural brown, yellowish patina, black lacquer

Author

Severo da Ravenna and Studio

Dating

First half of 16th century

Dimensions

26.8 x 10.5 x 17 cm.

Origin

Barsanti Collection (1934)

Image copyright

SSPSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Roma

Short description

Planiscig attributed this bronze to Riccio, but it is now thought to be by Severo da Ravenna and his studio. All such lamps with acrobats used to be considered as excavated classical works, and were published as such, with illustrations of engravings in the 18th century. The eagle’s foot, where the base is inserted, was not originally part of the statue, even though though it dates from the same period. Together with the present work and the Bearded Acrobat (PV9247), a third example of such lamps exists, depicting an old satyr with a thick, forked beard.

Pietro Cannata

Bibliography

L. Pollak, Raccolta Alfredo Barsanti (Trecento-Settecento), catalogue of the collection, Bergamo 1922, no. 21 p. 36; L. Planiscig, Andrea Riccio, Vienna 1927, pp. 182 and 488 no. 177; A. Santangelo, Museo di Palazzo Venezia. Catalogo delle sculture, Rome 1954, p. 32; A. Nesi - T. Rago (eds.), Museo Stefano Bardini. I bronzetti e gli oggetti d'uso in bronzo, Florence, 2009, no. 7, pp. 62-64.