After a model by Giambologna (1529-1608), Italian, Florence, 17th century

Private collection, Great Britain;
Art market, London;
Michael Hall collection, USA 

Giambologna's Cesarini Venus, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1993-1994

C. Avery and M. Hall, Giambologna. An exhibition of sculpture by the master and his followers from the collection of Michael Hall, Esq., exh. cat. Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, New York, 1998, pp. 18-21, no. 6

Overall the condition is good. There is some dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age, including surface abrasions and some dents and scratches throughout. In some areas the brown varnish has rubbed away revealing the gold-brown patina. There are a few chips to the 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."

Giambologna's Cesarini Venus was the sculptor's final exploration in marble of the single female nude. Carved in 1583, it was commissioned by Giangiorgio II Cesarini, Marquis of Civitanova, and executed on the orders of Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici (1541-1587). The marble, today housed in the Palazzo Margherita, the United States embassy in Rome, is nonetheless thought to derive from an earlier wax model used in the casting of a signed bronze statuette of Venus drying herself from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna [5874]. This statuette has been identified with a bronze 'figurina' sent, according to Raffaello Borghini, as a gift from Francesco I to his future brother-in-law, the Emperor Maximilian II, towards the end of 1564. In sculpting the Cesarini Venus, Giambologna developed an important earlier model that would have been relatively unknown in Italy at the time. The Cesarini Venus became one of Giambologna's most celebrated and highly praised models, with reductions being cast by Antonio and Gianfrancesco Susini and later by many other workshops, including that of Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1656-1740). Casts with the same circlular base, are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 24.212.16); with the family of Constance Mather Bishop; and with Daniel Katz Ltd, London 1997.

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Avery, Giambologna. The Complete Sculpture, London, 1993, no. 14, pp. 30, 107; A. Radcliffe, 'Giambologna's "Venus" for Giangiorgio Cesarini: A Recantation,' in: Antologia di belle arti. La Scultura: Sudi in onore di Andrew S. Ciechanowiecki, Milano,1996, pp. 60-72; W. Seipel, Giambologna: Triumph des Körpers, exh. cat., Vienna, 2006, nos 4, 3, pp. 195-99; B. P. Strozzi and D. Zikos, Giambologna gli dei, gli eroi, exh. cat., Florence, 2006, p.114, fig. 14