Massimiliano Soldani Benzi
Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi or Massimiliano Soldani(15 July 1656 — 23 February 1740) was an Italian sculptor and medallist, mainly active in Florence.
Born the son of an aristocratic Tuscan cavalry captain, Soldani was employed by the Medici for his entire career. He was the finest bronze caster in Europe in the late 1600s. He began training in the Medici school in Florence, and attracted the attention of the Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici who sent Soldani-Benzi to Rome to complete his training in sculpture and coin-making. During his four years in Rome, Cosimo forbad him to work for others, although Queen Christina of Sweden wanted to commission work from him. After his return from Rome, Cosimo sent the artist to work with a famous medallist in Paris. Again in deference to Cosimo, Soldani-Benzi refused overtures from Louis XIV and, cutting short his visit, returned to Florence, where he was made director of the Grand-ducal Mint, and had a workshop in the Uffizi.[1] The Medicis had been equally possessive of his predecessor Giambologna.
Though trained as a medallist, Soldani-Benzi also produced bronze reliefs, figures, and busts, often after the antique. For Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein he produced a series of bronze copies of works of the Medici collection [2]
After his death his heirs sold some of his wax models to marchese Carlo Ginori, who had them adapted by his chief modeller, Gaspero Bruschi, and reproduced in porcelain at his Doccia porcelain manufactory near Florence. Thus Soldani's Apollo in His Chariot, Venus Plucking the Wings of Cupid and Virtue Overpowering Vice all exist as Doccia porcelain groups.[3]
Notes
- ^ Sourced from the Getty & Lichtenstein museum links
- ^ Works in Liechenstein collection.
- ^ The Detroit Institute of Arts has examples of all of these Doccia groups.