L. Felli

Overall the condition of the marble is very good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The little finger on the proper right hand is reattached. There are some naturally occurring inclusions with fill, notably at her back, and there are filled veins or inclusions to her abdomen and proper left thigh. There are minor chips around the bottom edge of the base and the drapery at the bottom. There are paper residue and some scratches to the front of the base.
"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."

Active in Florence between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Felli masterfully sculpted elegant female nudes in marble. The lithe body of the present figure demonstrates his understanding and passion for carving the female form, with delicate details such as flowers and transparent drapery emphasising her graceful attributes.

The Museu Europeu d'Art Modern, Barcelona (MEAM)

The Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (European Museum of Modern Art) is one of Barcelona’s hidden gems, situated in an elegant 18^th-century palace in the heart of the city’s old town, El Born. Founded for the promotion of 20^th and 21^st-century figurative sculpture and painting, the museum houses an outstanding and growing collection of contemporary art. Each year it hosts the Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Awards, which brings together representations of the human form by contemporary artists from across the globe.

The following lots are a carefully curated selection of highlights from the Museum’s collection of 19^thand 20^th-century sculpture. Prominent amongst them is a series of elegant Classicising and Romantic marbles, led by Paul-Jean-Baptiste Gasq’s The Kiss (lot 138) and Giuseppe Gambogi’s Three Nymphs on a Rock (lot 128). These works evidence the belle époque fascination with the idealised human form, combined with wistful and sometimes exotic subjects. Historicism is represented in the striking and dynamic form of Victorien Tournier’s Le Guet (The Watch) (lot 136). Dalou’s figures of workers (lots 143-145) meanwhile evidence the contrasting interest in social and genre subjects around the turn of the century. In Auguste-Henri Carli’s Young Woman Playing Pipes (lot 142) we can observe a classicising nude with bucolic overtones, themes which concerned European sculptors throughout the first three decades of the 20^th century. The influence of Rodin is felt in numerous of the sculptures, but particularly Alfredo Pina’s male nudes (lots 133-134).

The divergent movement towards a modernist aesthetic is witnessed in Charles Despiau’s magnificent Apollo. Despiau was one of a number of leading students of Rodin, who sought a new route for sculpture in contrast to his master’s expressive style. The Apollo is a quintessentially 1930’s figure, a rare bronze cast from Despiau’s original model, which was designed to stand in watch over the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, inaugurated in 1937. With its totemic pose and simplified physiognomy, the Apollo is a simultaneously classical and modern figure. Other works in a modernist style include Milly Steger’s Naiad and Fritz Klimsch’s Nostalgia.

Each of the sculptures in the catalogue were exhibited in Una mica d’escultura, si us plau! L’escultura europea del segle XX at MEAM, a dedicated exhibition of the Museum’s collection of European 19^thand 20^th-century sculpture.