19th and 20th Century Sculpture
19th and 20th Century Sculpture
GIOVANNI MARIA BENZONI | LA SPERANZA (ALLEGORY OF HOPE)
Auction Closed
July 10, 03:03 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
GIOVANNI MARIA BENZONI
Italian
1809-1873
LA SPERANZA (ALLEGORY OF HOPE)
signed and dated: G. M. BENZONI. F. ROMA. A. 1857.
white marble, on a revolving veined grey and pink marble base
figure: 66cm., 26in.
base: 23.5cm., 9¼in.
When Benzoni exhibited the original life-size marble of Hope at the 1862 International Exhibition, his work, and that of his compatriots, was described by one reviewer as belonging to the 'school of Italian Romance'. This softened form of neo-classicism appealed to a new audience who thronged to the ever increasing international exhibitions. The treatment of Benzoni's Speranza epitomises this genre.