Francesco Fanelli

(Firenze, 1577 - Paris, 1663)

School of

Cupid riding on a dolphin, holding a mace in his right hand while with his left hand he holds wide open mammal’s jaws, which, exhibiting the teeth, resembles a fierce aquatic monster.

Splendid transparent brown patina with traces of an artificial black patina.

An identical model preserved in the Civic Museums of Padua is attributed to workshop of Niccolò Roccatagliata. This could be an alternative attribution of our bronze even though in the recent scholarship similar bronzes are assigned to the workshop of Fanelli.