The Sacrifice of Jephthah's Daughter
by SOLDANI BENZI, Massimiliano, Bronze, 46 x 44 x 28 cm
This bronze statue belongs to the twelve sculptures that electress palatine Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici commissioned from various Florentine sculptors between 1722 and 1725 for her apartment in Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Soldani Benzi made a wax model of the composition in 1725 and the present version was cast later in 1730-37.
Jephthah led the Israelites in battle against Ammon and, after defeating the Ammonites, fulfilled a rash vow of his, by sacrificing his daughter.