19th and 20th Century Sculpture
19th and 20th Century Sculpture
Auction Closed
July 10, 03:03 PM GMT
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
SANTO SACCOMANNO
Italian
1833 - 1914
FEMALE NUDE
signed and dated: SANTO SACCOMANNO fece 1892 GENOVA, and inscribed: ESTRADA FUSE / MILANO 1894
bronze, green brown patina, on a painted wood base
bronze: 174cm., 68½in.
base: 50 by 88 by 58cm., 19⅝ by 34⅝ by 22⅞in.
This rare and impressive life-size bronze epitomises the realismo current in Italian sculpture at the close of the 19th century. Born and trained in Genoa, Santo Saccomanno was initially drawn to Romanticism before infusing his style with a realism referred to by Vicario as a 'virtuoisismo descrittivo'. Saccomanno established a reputation as an accomplished architectural and sepulchral sculptor, while also focusing on portraiture and historical or genre subjects. The present female nude may represent a mythological or legendary character, as is indicated by her nudity, antique jewellery, and the bow resting at her feet. Her dramatic expression and alarmed gesture are exemplary of Saccomano's descriptive talent.
RELATED LITERATURE
V. Vicario, Gli Scultori Italiani dal Neoclassicismo al Liberty, vol. II, Lodi, 1994, pp. 936-937