A bacchante playing the flute, in bronze with a translucent - Lot 45

A bacchante playing the flute, in bronze with a translucent black patina. Standing and completely nude, the musician blows into her instrument in a dancing pose; her hair is pulled up and held in place by a bun and braids. Northern Italy, follower of Riccio (Padua, c. 1470–1532), c. 1530/1550 H. 18.2 cm On a base of yellow Sienese marble and black marble H. (with base) 26.3 cm (restoration to the right ankle) Subjects drawn from Antiquity were highly prized by artists in Northern Italy from the late 15th century onward. Thus, in Padua, the sculptor Riccio particularly enjoyed depicting in his small bronzes intended for collectors figures or creatures from mythology close to nature, such as shepherds, fauns, maenads, and other satyrs. This musical bacchante fits well within this theme of ancient sculpture, as seen in the Bacchic processions adorning certain Roman sarcophagi (fig.). No other statuette of this musical nymph in public or private collections has been identified; it should be noted, however, that many small bronze figures from the first half of the 16th century are often known from only a single example.