13 ANTONIO SUSINI
Italian (Florence),
active 1572-162 4
or
GIOVANNI FRANCESCO
SUSINI
Italian (Florence),
circa 1585-circa 165 3
After a model by Giovanni
Bologna (Jean Boulogne),
called Giambologna
Italo-Flemish (born Douai,
active in Florence), 1529-160 8
Lion Attacking a Horse,
first quarter of the
seventeenth century
Bronze- 1 x28 cm (^/sxll in.)
94.SB.11. 1
In this vivid scene of animal combat, a ferocious lion attacks a horse from the side,
digging into its flesh with claws and teeth and forcing it to collapse upon the rocky
ground. The horse, writhing in pain, twists its neck back toward the predator with an
open-mouthed whinny. The circular rhythm created by the position of the horse's neck
and tail serves to contain the composition and focus attention on the central, dramatic
action of the lion biting into the horse's skin. The taut muscles and contorted poses
of the animals within this compact grouping convey a sense of dynamic struggle and
physical anguish. However, despite the brutality of the subject, the rich, golden-brown
patina and exquisitely rendered details—for instance, the ripples along the horse's bent
neck and the carefully punched whiskers on the lion's muzzle—transform this violent
group into a precious, jewel-like object.
Giambologna, the pre-eminent sculptor in late sixteenth-century Florence, created
the model for this group, which was then cast in bronze by one of his close associates.
He derived the composition from a fragmentary ancient marble in the garden of the
Palazzo dei Conservatori in Rome. The horse's front and hind legs, neck, and head,
as well as the lion's rear legs and tail, were lacking in the marble sculpture when
Giambologna would have seen it in the 1550 s or 1580s. His bronze, therefore,
represents a masterful solution to the restoration of an ancient fragment. The Lion
Attacking a Horse was created as one of a pair of animal bronzes. The other group,
depicting a Lion Attacking a Bull, is also in the Museum's collection. PAF44 EUROPEAN SCULPTURE