Candlestick in the Form of a Kneeling Angel
ca. 1590–1600
Medium
Reddish copper alloy covered with a natural, warm brown patina.
Dimensions
H. 27.5 cm
Classification
Metalwork-Bronze
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1390
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Candlestick in the Form of a Kneeling Angel* Giambologna (1529–1609), a master of the late Renaissance and Mannerist periods. Crafted around 1590–1600, this exquisite piece from the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan of Art stands 27.5 cm tall, a humble household object into a poised sculpture. The angel kneels gracefully, wings folded and hands raised in devotion, embodying the era's blend of piety and elegance. Giambologna, Flemish sculptor who thrived in Medici Florence, was renowned for his virtuoso bronzes—small-scale wonders like this one that rivaled grand monumen...
About the Artist
Giambologna · 1529–1608
Born and trained in Flanders (Douai, his birthplace, is now in France but was once in Flanders), Giambologna traveled to Italy in 1550 to study Classical and Renaissance sculpture. There, he became court sculptor of the Medici Dukes. He was famed for compositional sophistication, sensuous, tactile treatment of human body, and sheer technical virtuosity. He was extremely influential because the Med...