RAFAELLO BATTELLI, AFTER THE ANTIQUE | CROUCHING VENUS

In the Annuario d'Italia of 1896 (op. cit. p. 1575), Rafaello Battelli is recorded as one of the 'scultori in marmo' living in the District of Lucca. He appears to have produced marbles after the antique and some genre sculptures.

Several versions exist of the Roman statue of Aphrodite, known as the Crouching Venus, after a Hellenistic original. Perhaps the most famous example was part of the Gonzaga collection in Mantua and purchased by Charles I of England. After the dispersal of Charles' art collection, it was briefly owned by Sir Peter Lely, and then re-acquired by the Royal Collection (inv. no. RCIN 69746). 

RELATED LITERATURE

Annuario d'Italia, 1896, Anno XI, Calendario Generale del Regno, Anno 34, p. 1575