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Esprit

Sculptor/metalsmith close to Donatello Italian
1432
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 500
En 1436, une fontaine fut installée dans la cour de la résidence florentine de Cosme de Médicis, bien avant que la demeure devienne le grandiose Palazzo Medici que nous connaissons. Les registres indiquent que la fontaine est due à Betto d’Antonio, tailleur de pierre, et qu’un peintre nommé Antonio fut payé pour la dorure du spiritello (petit esprit, parfois bon génie) posé au sommet. Ce spiritello est très probablement l’étrange petit personnage que voici. Le sculpteur, qui connaissait certainement les anges de bronze sculptés par Donatello pour le baptistère de Sienne en 1429, a mêlé dans une belle envolée des traits empruntés à Mercure — dieu du commerce, cher aux banquiers de la famille Médicis —, à ceux de Zéphyr, le vent d’ouest que les Florentins accueillent avec plaisir tous les mois de mai.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Titre: Esprit
  • Artiste: Sculpteur proche de  Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi), Italien, 1386–1466
  • Date: v. 1436
  • Technique: Bronze doré
  • Dimensions: H. 61,6 cm
  • Crédits: Achat, don de MmeSamuel Reed, fonds Rogers, échange, et fonds Louis V. Bell, 1983
  • Accession Number: 1983.356
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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