Pietro Francavilla - Apollo Victorious over the Python - Walters 27302

This statue represents the ancient sun-god Apollo's first triumph, when, at Delphi, he slew with his bow and arrows the serpent Python, which lies dead at his feet. Apollo embodied the ideals of male beauty and heroism. A work of this size was certainly intended for a prominent location, and this statue probably stood in the courtyard of the Palazzo Salviati in Florence.

The sculptor's name and the date are inscribed across Apollo's chest. Born in Flanders, Francavilla moved to Florence, where be became a pupil and the principal assistant to the Medici court sculptor Giovanni da Bologna (1529-1608), also from Flanders. The elegant pose and elongated proportions of this monumental statue are characteristic of the artful, late-Renaissance style known today as Mannerism.