Venetian Renaissance Bronze Bust of a Bacchante or Putto

Period: 1600-1700

Origin: Italy

Medium: Bronze

Literature: It is thought that these busts of bacchante and heads of cherubs were produced for use as doorknockers and credenza handles in the early 17th century by the Venetian workshop of Niccolo Roccatagliata. Named as the ‘Master of the Putto’, very little is actually known about Roccatagliata and his sculpture during the forty three years he intermittently worked in Venice. Numerous small bronzes of Venetian origin, mainly of putti, are attributed to him, but it is more probable that these were extensively produced to satisfy popular local demand by several late 16th and 17th century Venetian workshops.