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23 Statuette: Frog

During the Renaissance, the Italian technique of casting bronze sculptures from molds of real plants and animals spread to the rest of Europe and reached its peak in the 1560s. These remarkably realistic statuettes were used to decorate buildings, fountains, and other structures, but were also displayed on desks in the studies of nobles and scholars. Frogs and other small amphibians were particularly favored by artists as subjects. Frog statuettes were put to practical use as inkwells or incense burners, and this particular piece was used as a paperweight.