The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 26, 2024

Standing Figure of a Man

Standing Figure of a Man

c. 1500
(Italian, 1439–1501)
Italy, Siena
bronze
Overall: 31 x 16.5 x 8 cm (12 3/16 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1947.509
Location: not on view

Description

Derived from classical antiquity, this nude male stands in the contrapposto pose, bearing his weight on his left leg, with his right leg bent, as if in motion. He steps lightly, so that only the toes of his right leg touch the ground. He stands on a laurel wreath, a plant which in antiquity would be waved as a symbol of joy after a military victory. During the Renaissance, small bronzes were kept in cabinets, bringing the gods and goddesses of ancient times into the home. Flaws in the bronze casting suggest that this piece is from the early Renaissance. In 1971, Ulrich Middeldorf rejected Olga Raggio's original attribution to an anonymous Florentine, attributing it instead to the sixteenth-century Sienese artist Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1501), based partly on its resemblance to Francesco's bronze angels in Siena's Duomo. However, such details as the awkward posture and frozen motion of the body relate this work more closely to Francesco's pupil Giacomo Cozzarelli (1453-1515). Standing Figure of a Man is attributed to the circle of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, as uncertainties remain regarding its exact author.
  • Richard von Kaufmann, died 1908 (Berlin, Germany), upon his death, held in trust by the estate.
    Estate of Richard von Kaufmann, sold, Cassirer and Helbing, Berlin, December 4, 1917, lot 254;
    Dr. Ernö Wittmann (Budapest, Hungary), died 1963, sold through Raphael Stora (New York, New York), to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1947.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 232 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 92 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 92 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 94 archive.org
  • The Persistence of Classicism in Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1988-January 15, 1989).
    Classic to Baroque: A Style Change in the Arts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 30-November 13, 1949).
    Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, (fall, 1943-1944): "15th and 16th c. Sculpture in Bronze and Wood, lent by Dr. Ernst Wittman," (no cat.)
  • {{cite web|title=Standing Figure of a Man|url=false|author=Francesco di Giorgio Martini|year=c. 1500|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.509