29 MASSIMILIANO SOLDANI
BENZI, called Soldani
Italian (Florence), 1656-174 0
Venus and Adonis,
circa 1715-171 6
Bronze
46.4 cm (18^4 in.)
93.SB. 4
Soldani was arguably the finest bronze caster in late seventeenth- and early
eighteenth-century Europe. He was also, along with Giovanni Battista Foggini,
the most significant proponent of the Florentine late Baroque style in sculpture.
The Museum's group depicts the story, drawn from Ovid's Metamorphoses
(10.495-739), of the death of Adonis. Typical of Soldani's theatrical style, the
figures are composed as if on a stage with a primary frontal view, calling to mind
productions of opera—a genre that had been invented in Florence a century earlier.
The scenographic quality in the group is enhanced by the inclusion of landscape
details, such as the rocky ground, flowers, and clouds, which serve as props for the
unfolding narrative. The group depicts a climactic moment and emphasizes the
poignant tragedy of the lovers—the wounded and dying Adonis lies on the ground,
86 EUROPEAN SCULPTURE
