Francesco Bertos (1678-1741) Italian, Venice, first half 18th century

Private Collection, Netherlands;
Daniel Katz Gallery, London;
Private Collection, London

C. Avery, The Triumph of Motion. Francesco Bertos (1678-1741) and the Art of Sculpture. Catalogue Raisonné, Turin, 2008, p. 171, pl. 34, no. 26

Overall the condition of the marble is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is some veining consistent with the material and a few naturally occurring inclusions, including one or two to the face. The proper right corner of the headdress may be reattached.
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This languid portrayal of the wine god Bacchus displays the technical virtuosity associated with Bertos's larger multifigural groups. The figure's svelte legs and arms draw the viewer's attention to the sculptor's ability to fashion marble with all the virtuoso skill of a Baroque ivory carver. It was this technical prowess that led to the sculptor being accused by the Inquisition of having consorted with the devil.

Stylistically, the present marble is entirely consistent with Bertos's wider oeuvre, the distinctive pierced eyes are characteristic of the sculptor's figures, as is the slightly hooked nose and prominent brow. A relevant comparison is with a group of Bacchus and a Young Satyr, which was sold at Christie's, King Street, London, on 5^th December 1994, lot 82, for £67,500. This Bacchus adopts an analogous pose, but in reverse; his body likewise placed in an elegant contraposto and forming an s-shaped curve, with one hand stretched out for support.

Bertos's sculptures find pictorial counterparts in the ethereal trompe l'oeil paintings of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770). Charles Avery has noted that Tiepolo and his son Giovanni Domenico (1727-1804) in fact referenced Bertos's work on more than one occasion (op. cit. pp. 87-9). Significantly, the younger Tiepolo produced a drawing for a figure of Bacchus, which was sold at Christie's, Paris, 18^th March 2004, lot 68. Like the present figure, this god adopts a contraposto pose, and has one arm outstretched, resting on top of his head. Whilst it cannot be proven that the present Bacchus served as direct inspiration for Tiepolo's figure, the comparison underscores the close relationship between Bertos's sculptures and Rococo painting in 18th-century Venice.

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Avery, The Triumph of Motion. Francesco Bertos (1678-1741) and the Art of Sculpture. Catalogue Raisonné, Turin, 2008, pp. 37-44, 73-86, 87-91, p. 171-2, nos. 26, 27, 28