Chapter 7 The Young Baccio Bandinelli and the Role of Prints at the Beginning of a Sculptor’s Career
In: Sculpture in Print, 1480–1600Search for other papers by Angelika Marinovic in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
The engraving by Agostino Veneziano, once described by Bartsch as “un homme frappant un autre homme” has been identified by Eike Schmidt as resembling the wax model of Hercules vanquishing Cacus in the Berlin Bode Museum. The print as well as the modello have been dated 1525, a time after Bandinelli was awarded with the commission to build the marble sculpture of Hercules and Cacus to serve as a rivaling compliment to David of Michelangelo in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. By analyzing the engraving technique employed and comparing it to other prints by Agostino Veneziano and to early drawings by Bandinelli, the present paper shows that the print dates to 1515/16.
The engraving of Hercules and Cacus predates the commission for the marble sculpture of the same subject and might be the first surviving example of the sculptor’s work on the topic. The print of Hercules and Cacus – like the presentation drawing Bandinelli holds in his self-portrait at the Isabella Stewart Gardner-Museum – shows that the sculptor used prints and paintings not to (re-)produce a single view of a three-dimensional artwork. As a skilled draftsman Bandinelli was aware of the different possibilities of two-dimensional media and arranged the composition exclusively for the flat surface.