Antonio Susini

Bronze caster and sculptor Antonio Susini (1558-1624) worked in the Florentine workshop of Giambologna, one of the most important Mannerist sculptors in Italy. From 1580 until he set up his own studio in 1600, Antonio was one of Giambologna’s closest assistants. Giambologna had so much faith in Antonio’s talent that he sent him to Rome to study antique statues, a crucial education for any aspiring artist. Antonio’s experience with classical antiquity resulted in a reputation for his own classically inspired works as well as for his bronze reproductions of antique statues. With his family, Susini established a foundry, where he cast many of Giambologna’s finest bronze works. Following an accepted practice of his time, Antonio often signed both the bronze works that he cast from other sculptors’ models and his own works.