Odoardo Fantacchiotti

Alfonso Panzetta, Dizionario degli Scultori italiani, vol. I, Adarte, 2003, p. 362

This marble group is very finely carved and is consistent with Fantacchiotti masterfully skilled hand. Minute chips and visible repair to the foliage hiding the snake at the base. Usual chips around the lower edge of the circular base. Surface dirt overall consistent with age and touching, which can be cleaned.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A pupil of Costoli and Ricci at the Florentine Academy, Fantacchiotti was known for sculpting his figures with expressions of longing and nostalgia. He employed this Romantic style in many of his works, including his figure of Eve (see Panzetta, p. 707, pl. 708) which is in the Galleria D'Arte Moderno di Palazzo Pitti in Florence. With her beautiful face reminiscent of the Romantic period and her head inclined toward the snake, Eve bears a considerable stylistic resemblance to the present model.

In 1843, Fantacchiotti created a figure of Boccaccio and began to concentrate solely on memorial sculpture. His niche figure of Francesco Accursio, for example, is in the Portico degli Uffizi, and his impressive marble "Susanna" in Florence's Galleria d'Arte Moderna is an outstanding neo-classical composition of this kind as well.

A similar example sold in these rooms, May 2, 2011, lot 90, $ 122,500