Mercury and Cupid late 1630s Francesco Fanelli Born and trained in Florence, Francesco Fanelli established his family workshop in Genoa (1605–1625). His wide-ranging talents as a designer, marble carver, and bronze founder caught the attention of a youthful English court eager to elevate its prestige with lavish artistic commissions in the novel Baroque style. In 1632, at the height of his career, Fanelli settled in London and was awarded a pension from Charles I (1600–1649; reigned 1625–1649) who appointed him royal sculptor three years later. During his eight years of service (1632–39) Fanel
Mercury and Cupid late 1630s Francesco Fanelli Born and trained in Florence, Francesco Fanelli established his family workshop in Genoa (1605–1625). His wide-ranging talents as a designer, marble carver, and bronze founder caught the attention of a youthful English court eager to elevate its prestige with lavish artistic commissions in the novel Baroque style. In 1632, at the height of his career, Fanelli settled in London and was awarded a pension from Charles I (1600–1649; reigned 1625–1649) who appointed him royal sculptor three years later. During his eight years of service (1632–39) Fanelli worked on a variety of sculptural projects large and small for the king and important noble patrons. Today, Fanelli is best known for having popularized the Italian art of the bronze statuette in and Cupid captures a dramatic moment from Apuleius’ bawdy ancient Roman novel, the Golden Ass that relates the star-crossed affair between Cupid, god of love, and his beautiful mortal lover, Psyche. Poised at the instant of flight, Mercury balances one arched winged foot on a cloudbank and kicks outward with the other. Three puffy-cheeked wind gods peeking out from the clouds gust the helmeted messenger god skywards. To thwart the fateful liftoff, winged Cupid plunks down his pudgy bottom and grabs at Mercury’s leg from behind. The infant deity’s struggle earns an amused backwards glance, as airborne Mercury inexorably rotates upward to trumpet his message: Psyche is commanded to return to the harsh bondage of Cupid’s jealous mother, and Cupid retains most of the original lustrous black surface coating typical of Fanelli’s English bronzes. The figure group’s grand nearly three foot height and spiraling composition, which resolves in sensuously luminous silhouette from every point of view, makes the sculpture a perfect candidate for display in one of the picture galleries that were coming into vogue at the Caroline court. Fanelli’s
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Photo credit: © MET/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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