Francesco da Sant' Agata

(Padova - Padova)

School of

The iconography of the bronze figurine refers to the myth of Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus, who was punished for her arrogance. As the mother of twelve children, Niobe boasted of being more fertile than Leto, the divine mother of the twins Artemis and Apollo. In response to this insult, the goddess asked her children to kill Niobe's unfortunate offspring with arrows.

This bronze figurine depicts Niobe in a desperate state, raising her arms to the sky, and provids a captivating representation of the female subject.

Francesco da Sant'Agata was a sculptor and goldsmith active at the turn of 15th and 16th centuries in Padua. His Niobe sculptures are housed in the Bode Museum in Berlin and in the Wallace Collection in London. 

This sculpture features elaborate surface work and a beautiful reddish-toned patina. It is likely from the 17th century.