{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O89319"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89319/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AE5094/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AE5094/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AE5094","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2007BM1530","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV7278","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV7279","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O89319/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O89319","accessionNumber":"A.7-1953","objectType":"Statuette","titles":[{"title":"Nessus and Deianira","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"This popular theme from ancient Greek mythology is one of the tales recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Having offered to carry Hercules and his wife Deianira across the river Euenos, the centaur Nessus took advantage of the situation to ravish Deianira. Hercules, observing the scene from the river bank, drew his bow and fired an arrow, which pierced the centaur's chest. \r\nHere Nessus is about to gallop off with Deianira on his back, while she puts up a fierce struggle, forcing the centaur to use both arms to restrain her.\r\nLittle is known about Francesco Fanelli (b: about 1577 - d: soon after 1641). Fanelli, a Florentine by birth, was documented in Genoa in 1608, where, until about 1631, he produced religious works in marble, silver, ivory and bronze. By 1635, he was working at the English court. Although he described himself 'sculptor to the King of Great Britain', it is unclear whether this title was official. The V&A owns versions of several small bronzes by the artist, described as 'ffrancisco the one-eyed Italian' in an inventory of Whitehall Palace in 1639. George Vertue stated that Fanelli 'lv'd and dyd in England'; he is last documented in 1641 and believed to have died soon after.","physicalDescription":"Nessus the centaur is galloping away, both his hooves above ground, holding the naked and outstretching Deianira around her hips. She puts up a fierce struggle, forcing the centaur to use both arms to restrain her.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Fanelli, Francesco","id":"A8376"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"x43862"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"bronze","id":"AAT10957"}],"techniques":[{"text":"casting","id":"AAT53104"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Bronze, lost-wax casting. ","categories":[{"text":"Bronze","id":"THES49033"},{"text":"Myths & Legends","id":"THES49005"},{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2006AE5094","2007BM1530","2024NV7278","2024NV7279"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"003","id":"THES409055"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"003","id":"THES395179"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Statuette","id":""}],[{"text":"Base","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1640","earliest":"1635-01-01","latest":"1644-12-31"},"association":{"text":"model","id":"x38723"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Dr W.L. Hildburgh","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"24.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"19.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Given by Dr. W. L. Hildburgh, F. S. A., 1953.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Statuette, bronze, Nessus and Deianira, by Francesco Fanelli (1577-after 1641), Anglo-Italian, England (London), c. 1640. ","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Denise Allen, Linda Borsch, James David Draper, Jeffrey Fraiman, Richard E. Stone (ed. by), <i>Italian Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art</i>, New York 2022, cat. 96, pp. 275-276 (entry by Fernando Loffredo)."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Emile von Binnebeke, <i>Bronze Sculpture: Sculpture from 1500-1800 in the Collection of the Boymans-van-Beuningen Museum</i>, Rotterdam 1994, cat. no. 20, pp. 86-89."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Anthony Radcliffe, Peter Thornton, 'John Evelyn's Cabinet', <i>The Connoisseur</i>, CXCVII, April, 1978, n. 38, pp. 254-262."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<i>Florentine Baroque Bronzes and other objects of art</i>, ed. by Charles Avery, K. Coray Keeble, catalogue of the exhibition (Toronto, The Royal Ontario Museum, January 1975), Toronto 1975, pp. 20-21."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"John Pope-Hennessy, 'Some Bronze Statuettes by Francesco Fanelli', <i>The Burlington Magazine</i>, XCV, May 1953, pp. 156-62."}],"production":"Anglo-Italian","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Nessus","id":"N3586"},{"text":"Deianira","id":"N3585"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["A.7-1953","A.7:2-1953"],"accessionNumberNum":"7","accessionNumberPrefix":"A","accessionYear":1953,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","Statuette","Base"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-16","recordCreationDate":"2004-01-14","availableToBook":true}}