The Genius of Cosimo I de’ Medici (‘Genio Mediceo’), Bartolomeo Ammanati, 1556 - 1557
wax, h 31.5cm × w 9.5cm × d 17cm More details
This red wax statuette is the modello for a much larger fountain sculpture that was cast in bronze for Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in Florence. The nude boy is a genius, a guardian spirit from classical antiquity, holding up a globe, symbolizing the earthly cosmos (‘cosmo’). Like the Capricorn under his arm, signifying the duke’s astrological sign, it too alludes to Cosimo.
