A bronze candlestick formed as a satyr
Two-part candle holder, the nozzle and drip pan presumably replaced. Formed as a striding satyr holding the foliate candle branch, the plinth with applied fig leaves, with three faun's head mascarons to each corner forming the feet. The nozzle slightly loose. H 24.5, with nozzle 26.4 cm.
Padua, early 16th C.
This candlestick can be tentatively attributed to Andrea Briosco (1470 - 1532) of Padua. Briosco was also known as Il Riccio, which means "curly haired". He was trained as a goldsmith but soon specialised in bronze sculptures and medallions. He created both decorative and functional pieces such as oil lamps and candlesticks, and all of his works testify to his unique ability to translate mythological subjects into bronze.
One of the first catalogues of his works in German was published by Wilhelm Bode in 1907. A similar figure of a female faun with a baby was formerly housed in the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum in Berlin. A very similar figure of a kneeling satyr presumably designed to hold a now missing candlestick is housed in the Bode Museum in Berlin (ident. no. K 4300).
Another creator of small-scale sculptures who comes into consideration as the work's author is Severo Calzetta da Ravenna, who was active in Padua and Ferrara and is also known as Severo di Domenico Calzetta.
Literature
For more on Briosco cf. Bode, Die italienischen Bronzestatuetten der Renaissance, Berlin (small new edition), p. 52.
For more on Severo da Ravenna cf. cat.: ex aere solido Bronzen von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, Berlin 1983, no. 63 ff.