Meleager and Atalanta

Object belonging

One's own

Category

Bronze sculpture

City

Rome

Location

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia

Specific location

Room 16

Inventory

PV 09316-17

Material and technique

Bronze, natural light patina, clear black lacquer

Author

Girolamo Campagna (studio version after the artist's model)

Dating

17th century

Dimensions

52.5 x 17 x 17 cm. (Meleager); 55.5 x 20 x 17 cm. (Atalanta)

Origin

Barsanti Collection (1934)

Image copyright

SSPSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Roma

Short description

This pair of andirons is of very modest quality. They are probably from a Venetian workshop. Meleager, or Adonis, has curly hair, a shoulder belt holds his clothes in place, which trail down behind his left leg. In his right hand he would have held a stick or a spear, which is now missing, and in his left he holds a dog on a leash, who sits beside Meleager with his head raised towards him. Atalanta’s hair is carefully styled, decorated with a tall diadem with large pearls and her dress, wrapped around her waist, trails behind her. In her raised right arm she is supposed to hold an arrow, or another object, which is now lost. In her other hand she holds a small winged putto by the hair.

Pietro Cannata

Bibliography

L. Pollak, Raccolta Alfredo Barsanti (Trecento-Settecento), catalogue of the collection, Bergamo 1922, nos. 89-90, pp. 1218-129; A. Santangelo, Museo di Palazzo Venezia. Catalogo delle sculture, Rome 1954, p. 45; C. Avery, Giambologna: an exhibition of sculpture by the master and his followers; from the collection of Michael Hall, exh. cat., New York 1998, no. 114 pp. 186-187.