Art: The Little Bronzes

Talking about the current show at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, Director Arthur van Schendel had to admit to a certain bewilderment. "Strange," said he, "though they were well known, there has never been a show of Italian bronzes." Until now scattered in scores of collections, the 203 Renaissance statuettes on display are small masterpieces that were in their way as highly prized as the metal and marble giants that adorn Italy's piazzas and palazzos. Shown in force, they present the Renaissance with such an intimacy that to see them is almost to hear the heartbeat...

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