Lot 113: Anglo-Italian, 17th century Francesco Fanelli (1577-after 1641) , Horse being attacked by a lion bronze, on an ebonised wood and gilt bronze base; the top of the base inscribed: y horse x Lyon

bronze, on an ebonised wood and gilt bronze base; the top of the base inscribed: y horse x Lyon

measurements note horse: 15cm., 5 7/8 in.; base: 16cm., 6¼in.

Sotheby's New York, 1 June 1991, lot 100

The present bronze and the previous lot provide excellent illustrations of the great decorative qualities for which Fanelli's statuettes were so appreciated in England. According to George Vertue's early 18υth-century notebooks the sculptor's bronzes 'sold to persons that were Curious, to sett on Tables cupboards shelves by way of Ornament'. Indeed several British palaces and country houses are known to have contained the Italian sculptor's lively bronzes. The ornate 17υth-century English bases would have made them prominent features in any collector's interior. The rarer of the two bronzes is the Lion attacking a horse. It is the only known example of this composition without the Turkish rider (see lot 110). The lion pelt on the back of the rearing horse suggests the model for Cupid astride a horse was employed to create this variant. Saint George and the Dragon, the subject of the second bronze, is one of Fanelli's most successful compositions. Two basic types were modeled by the sculptor. In the present, more spirited version he adapted his model of the Leaping horse, identified by its extended hind legs and pronounced twist of the head to carry a figure of St. George thrusting the lance at the dragon with both hands. Other examples of this first type are in the V&A Museum (A.5-1953), the Royal Collection and at Wellbeck Abbey with slight variations. RELATED LITERATURE
J. Pope-Hennessy, 'Some Bronzes by Francesco Fanelli', Essays on Italian Sculpture, London, 1968, pp. 166-71; P. Wengraf, 'Francesco Fanelli & Sons in Italy and London, on a Grander scale', European Bronzes from the Quentin Collection, exh. cat. The Frick Collection, New York, 2004, pp. 30-53