Adriaen de Vries (c. 1556–1626) was praised by his contemporary Gian Paolo Lomazzo (1538–1592) as ‘a very great ornament to our Italy’ (grandissimo ornamento alla nostra Italia) in 1584. Frits Scholten’s erudite and perceptive study of de Vries’s art shows us why this is a fitting epithet for the sculptor. As the title implies, the liveliness and freshness of de Vries’s bronzes (their ‘sprezzatura’), and indeed the sculptor’s own movements, are fundamental to his life and work. He has to be sought in The Hague, Delft, Friedberg, Rome, Augsburg, Turin and Prague, all of which centres provided bases for him. His work can be seen in many of these cities, as well as elsewhere, today. He had, and has, a truly international profile.

This book is not a traditional monograph, but a detailed and at the same time wide-ranging look at de Vries’s output. Probably the most important sculptor with whom he worked was Giambologna (1529–1608). But Wilhelm van Tetrode (before c. 1530–after 1587) was without doubt another vital source of inspiration; de Vries may have trained with him in Delft in the late 1560s and early 1570s. Scholten also compares the ‘non finito’ surfaces of de Vries’s bronzes with the quattrocento master Donatello.

Scholten looks at the work that de Vries produced for his major patrons, in particular Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612) in Prague, as well as Albrecht von Waldstein (‘Wallenstein’) (1583–1634), also in Prague. The book is not however ordered either chronologically, or in terms of commissions or subjects, but thematically. The technical creation of the bronzes, using the lost wax process, their fluidity, and what we can only call their modernity, are analysed and superbly illuminated. The softness and looseness of de Vries’s sculptures, their morbidezza, is emphasised in Scholten’s text. The author fruitfully compares some of his works with those of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). De Vries was trained as a goldsmith, and this meant he evolved above all as a skilled worker in metal. But he was also primarily a sculptor, like another of his quattrocento predecessors, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378–1455). De Vries did not run a large workshop; nor did he produce series of bronzes, meaning that almost all his sculptures come from the hand of the master. His compelling Mercury and Psyche of 1593 (Musée du Louvre, Paris), or his Mercury of 1596-9 (Städtische Kunstsammlungen, Augsburg) epitomise another of de Vries’s great achievements: expressing movement in twisting, spiral compositions (‘Serpentinata’). Scholten also discusses turning pedestals, both in the workshop and for display purposes. Seeing the sculptures from more than one viewpoint is essential for the appreciation of the sculptor’s oeuvre. Moreover, the subject matter of de Vries’s figures is examined. The interesting iconography of de Vries’s Juggling Man of c. 1615 (J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles) is discussed and compared with the classical prototype. Like de Vries’s other works, this monumental bronze epitomises his originality and mastery of the material.

This is a densely written, scholarly book which allows us to understand the visual power of de Vries’s extraordinary and unique bronzes. The chapters move effortlessly across centuries and geographical locations. It condenses the author’s tremendous scholarship and admiration for Adriaen de Vries in fluent prose (expertly translated from the original Dutch). The extensive bibliography and scholarly apparatus complement this beautifully produced publication, which is illustrated with a plethora of images of the sculptures, including detailed shots, and comparative material, whether works by other sculptors, drawings or prints. It will certainly be a fundamental resource for all students of Adriaen de Vries and sculpture of the early baroque period.

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