French, circa 1700

Christie's London, 18 April 1989, lot 160

Overall the condition of the bronzes is good. There is wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age with runners of some liquid going down Polyphemus' chest and Vulcan's back. There is particular wear to the patina of Vulcan around the anvil and there are a few recent scratches including around the necks of the figures. There are a few stable casting fissures visible. There is an area around the neck of Polyphemus with original repairs and there are a few to the base of Vulcan of which one -under his proper right foot- has an original patch.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This interesting pair of bronzes represents Vulcan, god of fire, and Polyphemus, the infamous Sicilian Cyclops. Both mythological figures appear ready to exact revenge upon their lovers as described by Ovid: Vulcan is about to throw the net with which he will trap his wife Venus and her lover Mars and Polyphemus is about to throw the stone that will crush Acis, a fellow suitor of the nymph Galatea. The pair is known in two further casts: one in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich (inv. nos. 65/17 and 18) and another in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow (no. 208f. II 2d). A cast Vulcan without its pendant was with Julius Böhler in 1972 (op.cit.).

When the Munich casts featured in the seminal bronze exhibition in Berlin, Von allen seiten schon in 1995 (op.cit.), they were attributed to the Rome school of the mid-17^th century. Polyphemus is inspired by Annibale Carracci's fresco of the Cyclops in the Palazzo Farnese while Vulcan's pose relates closely to that of Bernini's David. However, the influence of these Italians reached France as well. Specific examples of the influence include Michel Anguier's and Lambert Adam's emulations of Bernini's Neptune and Corneille van Cleve also carved his interpretation of Polyphemus (Musée du Louvre, inv. no. MR 2106) after Carracci's fresco.

Furthermore, certain stylistic elements of the bronzes seem distinctly French: the type of hat worn by Vulcan is repeated in a representation of the god in the allegory of Winter attributed to Philippe Bertrand from the Royal Collection (RCIN 31364.4). A further figure from Bertrand's oeuvre that compares well to Vulcan is the boatman in Bertrand's Rape of Helen (Musée National du Château de Fontainebleau, inv. no. 1010C). The simple swirls that denote the iris and pupil and the type of foliage that grows on the base of Polyphemus are also typically seen in French sculpture.

It is interesting to note the models for these bronzes probably did not start life as a pair. Whilst the bronzes were clearly cast by the same foundry, the figures differ in proportion and the bases do not match. French foundries often combined models which were not necessarily meant as pendants. See for example the combinations of François Girardon's Rape of Proserpine and the Rape of Orithyia by Flamen and Marsy and the bronze pairs of the Kneeling Venus and the Arrotino, two famous marbles after the antique from the Louvre (see lot 67).

RELATED LITERATURE
H.R. Weihrauch, Bronzeplastik. Erwerbungen von 1956-1973, cat. Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, 1974, pp. 68-69, no. 47; Summer Catalogue, exh. cat. Julius Bohler, Munich, 1977, no. 43;; V. Krahn (ed.), Von allen seiten schon. Bronzen der Renaissance und Barock, exh. cat. Skulpturensammlung der Staaatlichen Museen zu Berlin--Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, 1995, 512-513, nos. 187-188; G. Bresc-Bautier and G. Scherf (eds.), Cast in Bronze. French Sculpture from Renaissance to Revolution, exh. cat. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York/ Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2008, pp. 204-205, 208-209, 390-391, 400-402, nos. 56, 103, 108-109