Portrait of Baccio Bandinelli with Lion
1548
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1548
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of Baccio Bandinelli with Lion is a 1548 by Nicolò della Casa, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows sculptor Baccio Bandinelli seated like a king, wearing a fancy hat. His right hand rests on a lion’s head that gnaws a block of marble. A classical vase sits nearby. The lion biting stone hints Bandinelli wanted to show his power over marble. He often bragged about outdoing Michelangelo. This is a print made from Bandinelli’s own design. Look up Nicolo della Casa (French, active 1543–48) to see more prints by him.
Florentine sculptor Baccio Bandinelli was a self-proclaimed rival of Michelangelo. This print, made from Bandinelli’s design, is a masterpiece of self-promotion that also encapsulates the Renaissance artist’s inspiration from antiquity and rising social status. Bandinelli portrayed himself sitting like a king surrounded by both ancient sculpture and his own works. The lion that bites into a block of marble symbolizes Bandinelli’s formidable power over the stone and perhaps the triumph of his skills over all others (including Michelangelo). His fur-lined cloak is that of a gentleman, and the…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Nicolò della Casa (1553–1619) was a French artist, born in Lorraine.
See the richer artist page
