15 ADRIAEN DE VRIES
Dutch (active in Florence,
Milan, Augsburg, and Prague),
1545-1626
Juggling Man, circa 1615
Bronze
76.8 cm (30!/4 in.)
90.SB.44This muscular nude figure was inspired by a Hellenistic marble of a Dancing Faun in
the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. The ancient, music-making Faun has horns and a
small tail, holds cymbals, and steps on a foot organ. De Vries eliminated the horns and
tail, changed the foot organ to bellows, and deleted the hand straps of the cymbals,
transforming them into plates for juggling.
By consciously recalling an antique precedent, De Vries displayed his ability to
rival the accomplishments of ancient artists. Moreover, his revisions to the composition
demonstrated his powers of invention and his keen understanding of the human body
in motion. Caught at a crucial moment in an acrobatic trick, with one plate perched
precariously on his fingertips and the other seemingly suspended by centripetal force,
the figure conveys extraordinary vitality and movement within a perfectly balanced
composition. The vigorous treatment of the rippling muscles enhances the rhythm
and elasticity of the open pose. The sculpture becomes a vehicle for the exploration
of dynamic equilibrium. It may be relevant to note that feats of artistic virtuosity and
juggling tricks shared a common term—Kunststucke machen—in sixteenth-century
German usage. Such self-conscious demonstrations of artistic achievement were
highly valued in the court of Emperor Rudolf II, for whom De Vries worked.
The expressionistic treatment of the anatomy, hair, and facial features in the
Juggling Man recalls De Vries's other works from around the same date. The Museum's
bronze is particularly close in scale and style to the River Gods and other figures from
the Neptune Fountain, commissioned in 1615 for Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark
(now at Drottningholm Castle, Sweden). However, the Museum's sculpture was most
likely intended for display in an interior setting. Its dull discolored surface is the result
of its placement outdoors in the twentieth century. PAF48 EUROPEAN SCULPTURE