ITALIAN, ROME, 18TH CENTURYAFTER THE ANTIQUE | Bust of the Apollo Belvedere

Benedetto Pistrucci (1783-1855), Rome, Italy;
thence by family descent to the present owner

Overall the condition of the marble is very good with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The marble would benefit from a light clean by a professional conservator. The marble is also a little unstable on the socle and we recommend that this is resolved by a conservator. There is a separate piece of marble between bust and socle and glue residues here. There is particular dirt to the crevices. There is particular dirt to the proper left side of the nose and to the proper left eye. There is natural veining to the marble, including a slightly open vein running through the drapery at the front and to the chest. There are some clusters of natural veins under the surface, such as at the neck. There are naturally occurring inclusions to the marble, in particular to the neck. Two of the laurel leaves on the proper left side of the head are lost. There are chips to the top two proper left laurels and to the bottom left laurel. There are a few smaller chips and losses. There is a prominent vein in the side of the socle. There are chips to the edges of the scagliola column and base. There is a small reattachment to the molding of the column 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."

This distinctive bust of Apollo is carved after the celebrated Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican, where it was first recorded in 1509 (Haskell and Penny, op. cit., p. 148). The present bust is unusual since, unlike the majority of 18th-century busts after the Vatican original, this is not a direct copy. Its unusual curved truncation and prominently open-mouthed expression, deviate from the original and accord with the late Roman Baroque style. The expression, with large, unincised eyes, and wavy tendrils of hair, recall the St Sebastian by Paolo Campi (active 1702-1742) in the church of S. Agnese in Piazza Navona, Rome (Engass, op. cit., fig. 182). The truncation recalls the expressive busts carved in Rome by Lambert-Sigisbert Adam (1700-1759) and other late Baroque Roman busts. Compare, for example with his Neptune and Amphitrite at Sanssouci, Potsdam, circa 1726. Adam carved after the antique, most famously executing a Ludovisi Mars for Cardinal Melchior de Polignac in 1730, also now in Potsdam. Note the beautifully finished reverse which recalls the surface of the terrasse of the S. Camillus de Lellis in St Peters Basilica, Rome, by Pietro Pacilli (1720-1772), 1753; Pacilli carved the Apollo Belvedere at Woburn Abbey. The virtuoso undercutting in the hair would no doubt have been fully appreciated by the Roman sculptor Benedetto Pistrucci from whose collection the bust was inherited. 

RELATED LITERATURE

R. Enggass, Early Eighteenth-Century Sculpture in Rome, University Park and London, 1976, fig. 182; F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture, New Haven and London, 1981, pp. 148-150; E. Debenedetti, ‘Lambert Sigisbert Adam e P. P., due protagonisti della distensione del barocco', in E. Debenedetti (ed.), Sculture romane del Settecento, II, Rome, 2002, pp. 55, 59-79