BRONZINO on statuary

Speranza

As inquired by Benedetto Varchi, Bronzino admits that a painter

"never offers more than one view. It is sufficient if the side he exhibits has grace, so he does not care what it would look from the sides which are NOT visible."

"Sculptors, on the other hand, say that it is FAR MORE BEAUTIFUL and PLEASING to find in one particular statue ALL THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES of a man, such as the face, the chest, and the other parts, and then, moving around, to observe the side and the arms and what joins them, and then from the back to see the spine and how the front parts correspond to those of the side and rear, and finally, moving round a statue, to be totally satisfied with seeing it as a whole."