page_title: Massimiliano Soldani Benzi
hierarchical_section_title: Massimiliano Soldani Benzi
caption_attribution_description: English: Andromeda and the Sea Monster (right); Leda and the Swan (left). Bronze on grey-green marble bases with bronze mounts, 49.6 × 33.3 × 20.7 cm (19 1/2 × 13 1/8 × 8 1/8 in.), designed before 1717; cast about 1725. Object Number: 97.SB.61.1. As a sea monster lunges towards her, the nude Andromeda recoils, straining against the chains that tie her to the rocky ledge. Her hair blows behind her, indicating sudden movement. The sharp angles of her eyebrows and nose express anxiety, while the diagonal of her body expresses the repulsion she feels towards the growling beast. Andromeda and the Sea Monster depicts a dramatic moment from the ancient Greek author Euripides' tale of Andromeda and Perseus. Andromeda's mother angered the gods with her boast that Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, the attendants of the god of the sea, Poseidon. To appease the offended Poseidon, who threatened to destroy their entire kingdom, Andromeda's parents sacrificed their daughter by leaving her where she would be devoured by his monster. As Andromeda awaits the monster, chained to a rock, Perseus flies overhead, falls instantly in love with her, and rescues her by slaying the beast. Massimiliano Soldani Benzi's interpretation of the story is unusual because he focused on Andromeda's horror at the monster instead of on her rescue. Master sculptor Massimiliano Soldani Benzi cast the bronze groups of Andromeda and the Sea Monster and Leda and the Swan as pendants. Each depicts an episode from classical mythology, and the two are visually linked by opposing compositions. Leda reclines, forming a diagonal from the lower right to the upper left. This line is balanced by that created by Andromeda—a diagonal moving from the lower left to the upper right—as she attempts to escape. Both figures also display heightened emotion: Leda expresses seductive eroticism, and Andromeda expresses terrifying horror. Each group retains its original base, golden reddish lacquer patina, and elaborate matching bronze mounts on the base. Description: [CC-BY-SA-4.0] J. Paul Getty Trust.
context_page_description: Massimiliano Soldani or Massimiliano Soldani Benzi was an Italian baroque sculptor and medallist, mainly active in Florence. Born at Montevarchi, the son of a Tuscan cavalry captain, Soldani was employed by the Medici for his entire career.
context_section_description: Massimiliano Soldani or Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (15 July 1656 – 23 February 1740) was an Italian baroque sculptor and medallist, mainly active in Florence. Born at Montevarchi, the son of a Tuscan cavalry captain, Soldani was employed by the Medici for his entire career.
caption: Leda and the Swan (left), Andromeda and the Sea Monster (right)
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