Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli (active mid to late 18th century) Italian, Rome, 18th century After the Antique

Hugh Honour FRSL (1927-2016) and John Fleming (1919-2001), Villa Marchiò, Tofori, Tuscany, Italy

Overall, the condition of the bronze is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is minor greening to the folds of the drapery on the proper right side. There are stable original plugs to the bronze throughout, including to the proper right thigh and the proper left arm. There is a small casting fissure running horizontally through the drapery, particularly visible at the back, at the middle of the legs. There are a few minor splashes of red paint to the front.
"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."

First recorded in 1594, the Venus 'of the beautiful buttocks' was extensively restored by Carlo Albacini between 1786 and 1792. It survives in the collection of the Museo Nazionale in Naples (inv. no. 6020). In Honour's published list with the catalogue of works of the Zoffoli's of 1796, the Venus is listed for the price of 15 zecchin. Hugh Honour does not record the present signed bronze in his annotated list (op. cit. p. 205), suggesting he and John Fleming acquired the Venus after 1961. 

RELATED LITERATURE
H. Honour, 'Bronze Statuettes by Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli', in The Connoisseur, November 1961, pp. 198-205; F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique, The Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500-1900, London, 1982, pp. 316-318

The Late Hugh Honour and John Fleming

This elegant collection of Grand Tour bronzes and marbles was formed by the art historians and Italophiles, the late Hugh Honour and John Fleming. Together they wrote the famous A World History of Art, still one of the standard texts for any aspiring art historian, whilst Honour’s witty Companion Guide to Venice (1965) is still enjoyed by visitors to the Serenissma to this day. Honour was a leading authority on Antonio Canova and Neoclassicism. In Honour’s obituary for the Burlington Magazine, Nicholas Penny writes that he was able to ‘transform the reputation of one of the greatest of all European artists’ and brought his elegant and reliable knowledge to an increasingly wider audience throughout his life.

The collection includes a rare autograph Caracalla by Francis Harwood, the British sculptor who lived in Florence, supplying high quality marbles to Grand Tourists and royalty, including Catherine the Great of Russia. The larger portion of the collection includes one of the most important groupings of Zoffoli bronzes to have come to market, the majority of which were published by Honour in his defining article on the Zoffoli workshop: 'Bronze Statuettes by Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli', The Conoisseur, November 1961 pp. 198-205.

Earlier this year Sotheby’s sold John Deare’s magisterial Eleanor and Edward from Hugh Honour and John Fleming’s collection, Treasures, 5 July 2017, lot 35. It is a great privilege for Sotheby’s to offer the wider collection of two of the most respected Italophile British art historians of the 20^th century.