Striding Pan 1530s

Andrea Briosco, called Riccio, made this bronze Striding Pan sometime around the early 16th century. The sculpture reveals much about the period's interests and values through the chosen medium of bronze and the process of its making. Consider the lost-wax casting technique employed to bring this sculpture to life, a process involving the creation of a wax model, encasing it in a mold, melting out the wax, and then pouring molten bronze into the resulting cavity. The very act of casting in bronze elevated the sculpture's status, associating it with the permanence and prestige of classical art. Bronze was a luxury material, and the labor-intensive casting process further added to its value. This Pan is not merely a decorative object, but a testament to the skill and ingenuity of Renaissance artisans, who harnessed the transformative power of materials and processes to create works of enduring beauty and significance.