Vulcan Forging Arrows, Andrea Riccio

Episode 228. I’m David Cateforis with another Art Minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. An early sixteenth-century statuette of Vulcan attributed to Andrea Briosco, also known as Il Riccio, was made in Padua, a town whose university emphasized classical studies. Although the unearthing of ancient Greek and Roman statues during the Italian Renaissance inspired the production of this type of small bronze, its composition is a contemporary innovation. Seated upon a large vessel, the Roman deity of fire lifts a hammer overhead with his right arm. His left hand steadies an arrow, which he might be fashioning for cupid, the son of his wife, Venus. Abdominal muscles contracting, Vulcan leans forward to level a blow against the anvil. Although this pose, suggesting interrupted action, may seem static, in the statuette’s original domestic context, flickering candlelight animated its burnished surface. The size of this five and a half inch tall sculpture along with its worn patina indicates that the Vulcan was cradled frequently in the palm and treasured as a personal item. With thanks to Loren Whittaker for her text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis