Bearded Man

Object Type

An interest in antique culture and artefacts prompted the revival of the bronze statuette in 15th-century Italy. By the mid-16th century, when this bronze was made, sophisticated reproduction techniques were used. This model is known in five bronze versions and there is a wax version in the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Design & Designing

The designer of this work is unknown, but it has been associated with Michelangelo, or one of his followers, and with Alessandro Vittoria (1525-1608) who ran an important workshop in Venice. Drawings of this figure were made by the Venetian painter, Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594), who possibly copied a version made of cheaper material, such as plaster, clay or wax. The use of sculptural models for pictorial design was common practice.

Ownership & Use