Michelangelo's bronze River Gods: perpetuation, gemination and modification - Eike Schmidt

Duration: 26 mins 16 secs

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Description:	In the Bargello are two small bronzes of River gods cast from models that Michelangelo made in connection with the New Sacristy in San Lorenzo. The Bargello bronzes have received little attention in the Michelangelo literature to date, due in great part to the common misconception that Michelangelo made sculpture almost exclusively in marble. After clarifying their date of facture based on inventory descriptions, their relationship to each other, as well as to Michelangelo’s large clay River god (Casa Buonarroti), the Rothschild bronzes and other documented sculpture by Michelangelo will be explored through visual analysis. My paper will then focus on the principle of ‘modified gemination’, as seen in the two bronze River gods as well as in the Rothschild nudes. A survey of extant examples of sculptural pairs and near-pairs of the period will endeavour to understand the semantic underpinnings of ‘variatio’ in these instances, focusing on Michelangelo’s particular contribution to this visual trope.

Description:

In the Bargello are two small bronzes of River gods cast from models that Michelangelo made in connection with the New Sacristy in San Lorenzo. The Bargello bronzes have received little attention in the Michelangelo literature to date, due in great part to the common misconception that Michelangelo made sculpture almost exclusively in marble. After clarifying their date of facture based on inventory descriptions, their relationship to each other, as well as to Michelangelo’s large clay River god (Casa Buonarroti), the Rothschild bronzes and other documented sculpture by Michelangelo will be explored through visual analysis. My paper will then focus on the principle of ‘modified gemination’, as seen in the two bronze River gods as well as in the Rothschild nudes. A survey of extant examples of sculptural pairs and near-pairs of the period will endeavour to understand the semantic underpinnings of ‘variatio’ in these instances, focusing on Michelangelo’s particular contribution to this visual trope.


Created:	2016-08-08 12:28
Collection:	A Michelangelo Discovery Symposium - Monday 6 July
Publisher:	Fitzwilliam Museum
Copyright:	Fitzwilliam Museum
Language:	eng (English)

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