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Commentary: The portrait is identified as Antonio Galli (1510-61) by an inscription on the base, added at a later date. A distinguished diplomat, poet, and humanist, Galli served Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, as tutor to his son and as his ambassador at prestigious posts in Rome and Venice. As poet he wrote sonnets, odes, pastorals, and a version of the Psalms. Galli knew Pietro Aretino, Ariosto, Tasso, and other literary notables of his day.
The essentials of this man's nature and status are delineated in his bronze portrait with a precision and restraint to match the subject's own character. His carefully detailed costume, with its brocaded doublet, stiff collar framing a ruffled shirt, and woven buttons, is rich but not ostentatious. His head recalls classical portraits of noble leaders or philosophers such as Marcus Aurelius. The brow is lofty, the eyes with their deeply cut pupils and slight circles sagging beneath them are reflective. The full lower lip, brushed by a softly waving moustache and beard, seems sensuous. The poet-courtier is portrayed as the dignified, intelligent, and sympathetic personality he must have been.
The attribution of the bust to Brandani was made on the basis of similarities to his sculpture in stucco and terracotta, especially to his masterpiece, the Nativity group in the Oratory of S. Giuseppe, Urbino. No other work in bronze has yet been ascribed to Brandani
Source: Art in The Frick Collection: Paintings, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.
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