Scipione Tadolini

Meridan Hall Estate, Warwickshire, sold 1947

Overall the condition of the marble is very good. There are a number of small naturally occurring inclusions in the marble, some of which have been filled with plaster which has been discoloured. There is some minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few spots of white paint to the surface. There is slight yellowing to the marble surface at her proper right eye. There is some dirt to the column and some chips around the edges.
"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 Tadolini family occupies a fascinating position in the history of Roman sculpture. Four generations of the family of stone carvers lived and worked in the same studio for some 150 years. The building still exists today, on the corner of the Via del Babuino over looked by the Greek Church of S. Anastasia; it is now the Canova-Tadolini Museum. The head of the family, Adamo Tadolini, was an assistant in Antonio Canova's studio and was responsible for producing the working models for many of Canova's most important works. Adamo came to be recognised as Canova's most skilled studio assistant and Canova himself helped him establish his own studio at the Via del Babuino.

Scipione Tadolini, Adamo's eldest son, was trained in his father's studio. Moving away from a strict classicism, Scipione imbues classical subject matter with the Romantic spirit.

The Eve, conceived in the late 1860's at a time when Scipione was approaching the height of career, ranks, together with the Schiava Greca, as being one of the sculptor's most celebrated and successful models. Scipione presents Eve after the fall, her hand raised to her cheek, as if in contemplation of her sin, and her nudity partly obscured by leaves. Eve is a re-imagining of the classical nude, evoking the Hellenistic model of the Crouching Venus, though lending to it a Biblical subject and an air of romanticism. Scipione's debt to the classicism of his father and to Canova is evident in the sensual modelling of Eve's form. The plaster model of Tadolini's Eve is housed in the Palazzo Braschi, Rome, whilst a full sized marble version of the Eve can be found in the collections of the Glasgow Museums.

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Panzetta, Nuovo dizionario degli scultori Italiani dell'ottocento e del primo novecento da Antonio Canova ad Arturo Martini, Turin, 2003, pp. 900-901