After Antonio Canova Italian, 19th Century

Mary Caroline Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Dowager Duchess of Sutherland (1848-1912), Carbisdale Castle, Scottish Highlands, circa 1906;
Colonel Theodore Salvesen (1863-1942), Carbisdale Castle, Scottish Highlands, 1933;
by family descent to Captain Harold Keith Salvesen (1897-1970), Carbisdale Castle, Scottish Highlands, 1942;
gifted to the Scottish Youth Hostels Association, 1945

Overall the condition of the marble is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is veining to the marble throughout consistent with the material, in particular veins running down the proper left hand side of the body. There are particularly prominent veins at the proper left side of the chest, and at the proper left side of the lower back. There are also a few very slightly open veins, including one running from the centre of the chest through the proper left upper arm around to the proper left shoulder blade. There are some slight abrasions to the marble at the proper right buttock and the back of the proper right upper arm. There is some natural darkening to the marble, notably at the woman's back, buttocks, and the back of her legs. There is particular dirt to the marble base, and there are also a few dirt marks to the face. There are a few small chips to the edges of the marble base. There is a slightly open vein with a loss at the edge of the base by the drapery at the back on the proper right side. The wood base is in good condition with minor dirt and wear, including some scratches and abrasions. The base is a little unstable on a flat surface.
"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."

When the Medici Venus was forcibly removed from the Tribuna of the Uffizi by Napoleon's forces, King Louis I of Etruria commissioned Antonio Canova to replace the figure. True to nature, Canova submitted a wholly original figure to rival the antiquity, despite originally being asked to sculpt a copy. Canova's Venus references the Medici Venus in the turn of the neck, but leans slightly forward, adding greater finesse to the proportioning of the figure. The Neoclassical composition also incorporates drapery which is used by Venus to conceal her nudity. This is a distinctly modern gesture, which imbues the figure with a sensuality also seen in seminal contemporary paintings such as Ingres' Valpinçon Bather and Hayez' Venus.

The Venus Italica became an instant success when it was unveiled in the Palazzo Pitti in 1812. Canova subsequently made a number of versions, including examples for the Marquess of Lansdowne, the Marquess of Londonderry and, ironically, for Napoleon’s brother Lucien. The timelessness of the composition is underlined by the continued success Canova's students and major marble workshops such as those of Bazzanti and Romanelli enjoyed during the entire 19th century.

RELATED LITERATURE
O. Stefani, Antonio Canova. La statuaria, Milan, 1999, pp. 71-77, no. 5

Carbisdale Castle: A History

Carbisdale Castle is a magnificent Scots Baronial residence situated in the heart of the Highlands, overlooking the beautiful Kyle of Sutherland. Constructed between 1906 and 1917, it was the last Castle to be built in Scotland. Its history is one of intrigue, scandal, war and peace, at the centre of which lies the formidable figure of its first resident, Mary Caroline, Dowager Duchess of Sutherland (1848-1912), the Duchess Blair. Married three times, her first husband, Captain Arthur Kindersley Blair of the 71^st Highland Light Infantry Regiment, died mysteriously in a hunting accident in 1883. In the months leading up to her husband’s death, Mary Caroline had embarked on a love affair with the 3^rd Duke of Sutherland. Rumour swirled around the untimely death and, according to one writer ‘the Duke was whispered to have been responsible’. When his first wife died in 1889 there was no bar to the Duke wedding his long term mistress. The two caused a major scandal by marrying only four months after the Duchess’ passing. Mary Caroline was branded the  ‘Duchess Blair’ by the Victorian public, the implication being that she was a social climber.

The tale of the Duchess Blair took a further twist with the death of the Duke, since his will left her the majority of the Sutherland inheritance. His natural heirs were incensed, contesting this legacy. During the course of legal proceedings it emerged that the Dowager had destroyed documents, and she was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment. An agreement was eventually reached providing the Dowager with a substantial financial settlement, including the stipulation that the family construct a residence befitting her station. The result, Carbisdale Castle, was built to her exacting standards, and, over a period of time, was gradually furnished with the magnificent collection of statuary and painting being offered in this sale. The Dowager nevertheless remained embittered by her lost inheritance and she constructed the Castle around a tower with clocks on only three sides. The wall without a clock faced Sutherland lands, illustrating the Duchess’ claim that she would not give the family the time of day.

The Castle and its collection were generously donated to its current custodians, the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA), by Captain Harold Salvesen in 1945, who had inherited it from his father, Colonel Theodore Salvesen. Scots of Norwegian descent, during the Second World War the family gave refuge to King Haakon VII of Norway at Carbisdale. It was here, in 1941, that the Norwegian King signed an agreement with the Soviet Union that Russian troops would vacate Norway after they had liberated the country from Nazi forces. From 1945 to 2010 this historic Castle, complete with a tumultuous history and said to be haunted, operated as a popular youth hostel, under the care of SYHA.

The Collection comprises an extraordinary narrative sweep which charts the development of European sculpture in the 19^th century, from the elegant Neoclassicism of the early part of the century – exemplified by works such as the Venus Italica after Antonio Canova – to the fantastical Romanticism of the Belle Époque years – seen in marbles such as Pasquale Romanelli’s Andromeda and the Sea Monster. Appropriately, two of the most beautiful sculptures are the Venus by Lawrence Macdonald and the Nymph at the Stream by David Watson Stevenson, two leading Scottish sculptors. Wider British sculpture is represented by Henry Weekes’ The Young Naturalist with its girl with billowing hair and its rocky base with intricately carved seaweeds. Carbisdale is the quintessential Victorian collection, a point underlined by the presence of two charming satyr’s by Emil Wolff, one of Queen Victoria’s favourite artists. The wonderful array of pictures, most of which are quality 19^th-century copies of Old Masters or original British landscapes, hints at the Duchess Blair’s desire to recreate the splendour that she had lost with the death of her husband, whose own Bridgewater Collection, was one of the greatest in Europe.