European Sculpture and Works of Art
European Sculpture and Works of Art
French, first half 18th century
The Belvedere Antinous
No reserve
Lot Closed
July 4, 12:05 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
French, first half 18th century
After the Antique
The Belvedere Antinous
stamped with the crowned C
bronze, on a cream marble and yellow marble base
bronze: 34cm., 13 3/8 in.
base: 11.5cm., 4 1/2 in.
The present bronze is a reduction after the antique marble statue of Antinous Belvedere, which was first mentioned in 1543 when Pope Paul III purchased it for the Vatican's Belvedere garden, where it remains today in the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican Museums. The sculpture became highly admired and a popular subject for bronze reproductions during the time of the Grand Tour, although edited with complete arms (which are partly missing in the antique marble).
The dating of the bronze is confirmed by the crowned C mark on the integral base, which was employed in France to tax mark bronze artworks, the C standing for cuivre (copper), from February 1745 to February 1749.
RELATED LITERATURE
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique, New Haven and London, 1981, pp.141-143
