Attributed to Lorenzo Bartolini (1777-1850) Italian, Florence, circa 1820-1850

There is dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The carved detail on the vase is in good condition overall. The vase is made in sections. There are restored breaks to the bottom base. There appear to be restorations to the left corner above the signature, as well as immediately above the signature. There is a restored break running through the moulded base on which the atlas figures stand. There are restored breaks running through the legs of the atlas figures and there may be further restorations to the paw feet. The atlas figures appear to be reattached to the bowl of the vase. There may have been another small section between the bowl and the drum, now lost. There are glue restorations at the bottom of the acanthus stem. There is a single restored break running through the drum with the frieze, and there is evidence of two dowels. The surface of the frieze is slightly abraded, in particular at the scene with Dionysos carrying a drunken Silenus. There are minor chips and abrasions to the edges. The alabaster has greened slightly in areas. There are minor veins, consistent with the material. A few small chips and abrasions to the figures, and their drapery. One figure of Dionysus has a loss to his thyrsus. There are restored breaks to the upper rim, and evidence of old dowels. There is some greening around the dowels. There is evidence of lost beading to the top rim. There are small chips and abrasions to the barley corn motif around the rim of the bowl. Otherwise the condition is good.
"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 distinguished Italian Neoclassical sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini began his career producing high quality decorative urns and tazzi for visiting grand tourists. Falletti, Bietoletti and Caputo publish a series of nineteen sketches with designs for such vases (op. cit., pp. 196-199, no. 10). One of these is near identical to a marble tazza executed by Bartolini for the 6th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, circa 1820 (op. cit., no. 10, fig. 1). Whilst Bartolini is known for his marbles with exquisite surfaces, he trained as an alabaster carver with Barthelemy Corneille in Volterra (one of the centres of production of alabaster statuary in Tuscany) in 1795; it is consequently unsurprising to find his signature on the present magnificent vase. The frieze running around the drum of the urn is taken from the monumental pentelic marble Vaso Borghese which was discovered in 1566 on the site of the gardens of Sallust in Rome and acquired by the Borghese family who owned it until it was purchased by Napoleon and installed in the Louvre, where it remains (inv. no. MR 985). The frieze represents a Dionysiac procession, with the wine god thought to be the youth playing the aulos, draped in a panther skin and facing Ariadne, who he rescued on Naxos. It may, however, represent a more generic Bacchanale, the subject having been a matter of some debate. The Vaso Borghese was a celebrated antiquity at the time Bartolini was working, it was depicted by Hubert Robert (circa 1775) and it should be considered that its acquisition by Napoleon would have made it an appropriate subject choice for Bartolini, since the sculptor was commissioned to produce numerous decorative urns for Napoleon’s residence on Elba (Caputo, op. cit., p. 196, no. 10). The lower half of the vase, is, however, taken from the designs of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778), whose so called Piranesi Vase in the British Museum (inv. no. 1868,0512.1; which incorporates antique elements) is supported by a tripod arrangement of legs in the form of Atlas caryatids, identical to the present figures. This mixing of antique and contemporary designs is unsurprising given that Bartolini was creating his own models at that time, and patrons may have specified certain arrangements at the time of commission.

RELATED LITERATURE

F. Falletti, S. Bietoletti and A. Caupto, Lorenzo Bartolini: Beauty and Truth in Marble, exh. cat. Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence, 2011