Italian, Rome, early 19th century After the Antique

Overall the condition of the marble is good with dirt and some wear to the surface consistent with age. The marble would benefit from a professional clean. There are some spashes of white pigment to the top of the head and shoulders. There are a few minor chips to the edge of the truncation. There are a few minor naturally occurring inclusions visible on the surface, particularly in the area around the neck and one on the forehead, some of which have been filled. There is a faint stain included in the marble on the proper right cheek. There are a few minor naturally occurring veins visible on the surface, including one running across the proper left side of the face. The base consists of five parts. The base would equally benefit from a professional clean. There are a few minor chips along the edges of the lower section, and one of the corners of the shaft has been restored. The entire lower edge of the shaft has been restored.There is veining visible on the surface consistent with the material; some of these veins may have been filled.
"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."

The Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican ranks among the most celebrated statues from antiquity. Today thought to be a Hadrianic copy, made in c. 120-140 CE, of a 4th-century BCE Greek bronze original, the statue was excavated in Rome in 1489. The marble was recorded in 1509 in the garden of S. Pietro in Vincoli, which was then under the custodianship of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, who became Pope Julius II (1503-1513). By 1511, the Apollo had been installed in the Cortile del Belvedere of the Vatican, and thereafter received a vast amount of attention from artists and commentators alike. The most influential of these was J.J. Winckelmann, who dedicated pages to the Apollo’s beauty and hailed it as the embodiment of antique ideals. One of the most amusing descriptions of the Apollo was made by the great American painter Benjamin West. Upon visiting the Eternal City in the summer of 1760, he encountered considerable snobbery from the native populous who mocked him for a perceived lack of sophistication. Anxious to see the impression of this classical exemplar on West's supposedly uncultivated mind, they opened up the doors of the Belvedere to reveal the Apollo, only to be shocked when the painter dryly remarked, 'My God, how like it is to a young Mohawk warrior' (Haskell and Penny, op. cit., p. 150). The statue’s fame was further enhanced after it was ceded to Napoleon under the terms of the Treaty of Tolentino in 1797, arriving in Paris in a garlanded case in July 1798; it was returned to Rome in January 1816. The Apollo continued to fascinate Grand Tourists through the 19th century and was the subject of numerous copies.

The present marble, which is a very fine early 19th-century version of the Apollo, captures the presence of the Antique original. The sense of weight and plasticity in the beautifully carved and undercut mass of hair, together with the finely polished surface of the skin and drapery, mark the present marble out as a quality version of this most celebrated of classical models.

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique. The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven/London, 1981, pp. 148-151.