Lost wax bronze replica.
Author: Andrea del Verrocchio (1437-1488)
Period: 1480-1483
Bartolomeo Colleoni (1400-1475) was an Italian leader at the expense not only of the Republic of Venice but also, in alternating phases, of the most important hegemonic families of northern Italy, including the Sforza and the Visconti. This small bronze is a scale reduction of the much larger original monument, 395 cm high, exhibited in Venice in Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo.
This is the second equestrian statue of the Renaissance, after the monument to Gattamelata by Donatello in Padua, dated 1446-1453. In fact, for the realization of the Verrocchio group he went back to the statue of Gattamelata by Donatello and the ancient statues of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. The biggest problem of this type of representations was the statics: Verrocchio was the first to succeed successfully in the enterprise of supporting the monument on only three legs. This monument created by Andrea del Verrocchio represents the leader Bartolomeo Colleoni on horseback wearing his own armor. This work is a typical example of an equestrian portrait in which the leader is proud and ready to face the enemy.
To request info for this item please use the following form
