- 67
After Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720) and Giovanni Battista Foggini (1658-1725), French, first half 18th century
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description
- The Crouching Venus and The Arrotino
- bronze, on later ormolu plinths
- French, first half 18th century
Condition
Overall the condition of the bronzes is good. There is some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. Both bronzes have minor dents and scratches throughout. The base of Venus is warped.
The gilding on the plinths is worn throughout.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The present bronzes are fine reductions of Antoine Coysevox's Vénus accroupie and Giovanni-Battista Foggini's Arrotino. These impressive marble sculptures, themselves modelled after the antique, flanked the staircase of the Parterre Nord at Versailles until 1872, when they were removed to the Jardin des Tuileries and replaced with bronze casts produced in 1688; they are currently housed in the Louvre [inv. no. MR 1826; inv. no. MR 1853].
Coysevox's Vénus accroupie was completed in 1686 and appears to have been inspired by a plaster cast of the antique model sent to him by Francois Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (1639-1691). The famous antique Crouching Venus was known from a number of versions, including the Lely Venus, formerly in the Gonzaga collection and now displayed in the British Museum [inv. no. GR 1963.10-29.1]. Coysevox's Venus is a subtle reinterpretation of the antique model, with the crouching bather resting on a tortoise, her drapery arranged differently than in the antique and her head turned more sharply to the right. Signed both 'Coysevox' and 'Phidias' (the latter in the Greek alphabet), the sculpture was praised when it was installed at Versailles and, after being moved to the Tuileries in 1872, it was eventually taken to the Louvre.
The pendant to Coysevox's Vénus, Foggini's Arrotino, was commissioned by Louvois for Louis XIV, in 1648. By 1695 it is recorded in the inventory of the French Royal Collection as standing on the staircase of the Parterre Nord at Versailles. The Arrotino, which is widely thought to represent the Scythian executioner, whetting his blade in preparation for the flaying of Marsyas, was one of the most celebrated sculptures of antiquity. Acquired by Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici in 1578, it was eventually installed in the Tribuna of the Uffizi in 1688. Reductions of the model were very popular in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries, with a number of casts being sold by Zoffoli.
The present bronzes compare closely with another pair of bronze reductions of the Vénus accroupie and Arrotino, published in The French Bronze 1500-1800. The strands of hair held in the Venus' proper left hand are very similar, as is the treatment of the ground at her feet. Another pair in the Wallace Collection shares many of the same details as the present bronzes, including the manner in which the proper left leg and heel of Venus joins with her thigh and buttock. In 1939 it was suggested by W. Holzhausen that the smaller bronze paired casts of the Vénus accroupie and Arrotino may have been cast by the same workshop responsible for the full-size bronzes, now at Versailles. These latter casts have been attributed to the Keller Workshop, though Souchal attributes the Vénus accroupie to Joseph Vinache (op. cit. Souchal, p. 54). The present bronzes are distinguished by their rich patinas and finely chased surfaces, particularly in the hair and eyelids. The feet and tail of the tortoise are carefully delineated, whilst the fingers and toes of both the Venus and the Arrotino are handled with confidence.
RELATED LITERATURE
The French Bronze 1500-1800, exh. cat. M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1968, nos. 27A and 27B; F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique. The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven/ London, 1981, pp. 154-157, 321-323, nos. 11 and 86; F. Souchal, French Sculptors of the 17th and 18th centuries. The reign of Louis XIV. Illustrated Catalogue. Supplementary Volume A-Z. London/ Boston, 1993, pp. 54-55, nos. 37a, 37b; G. Bresc-Bautier (ed.), Les sculptures européennes du musée du Louvre, cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2006, p. 150, inv. no. MR 1853
Coysevox's Vénus accroupie was completed in 1686 and appears to have been inspired by a plaster cast of the antique model sent to him by Francois Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (1639-1691). The famous antique Crouching Venus was known from a number of versions, including the Lely Venus, formerly in the Gonzaga collection and now displayed in the British Museum [inv. no. GR 1963.10-29.1]. Coysevox's Venus is a subtle reinterpretation of the antique model, with the crouching bather resting on a tortoise, her drapery arranged differently than in the antique and her head turned more sharply to the right. Signed both 'Coysevox' and 'Phidias' (the latter in the Greek alphabet), the sculpture was praised when it was installed at Versailles and, after being moved to the Tuileries in 1872, it was eventually taken to the Louvre.
The pendant to Coysevox's Vénus, Foggini's Arrotino, was commissioned by Louvois for Louis XIV, in 1648. By 1695 it is recorded in the inventory of the French Royal Collection as standing on the staircase of the Parterre Nord at Versailles. The Arrotino, which is widely thought to represent the Scythian executioner, whetting his blade in preparation for the flaying of Marsyas, was one of the most celebrated sculptures of antiquity. Acquired by Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici in 1578, it was eventually installed in the Tribuna of the Uffizi in 1688. Reductions of the model were very popular in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries, with a number of casts being sold by Zoffoli.
The present bronzes compare closely with another pair of bronze reductions of the Vénus accroupie and Arrotino, published in The French Bronze 1500-1800. The strands of hair held in the Venus' proper left hand are very similar, as is the treatment of the ground at her feet. Another pair in the Wallace Collection shares many of the same details as the present bronzes, including the manner in which the proper left leg and heel of Venus joins with her thigh and buttock. In 1939 it was suggested by W. Holzhausen that the smaller bronze paired casts of the Vénus accroupie and Arrotino may have been cast by the same workshop responsible for the full-size bronzes, now at Versailles. These latter casts have been attributed to the Keller Workshop, though Souchal attributes the Vénus accroupie to Joseph Vinache (op. cit. Souchal, p. 54). The present bronzes are distinguished by their rich patinas and finely chased surfaces, particularly in the hair and eyelids. The feet and tail of the tortoise are carefully delineated, whilst the fingers and toes of both the Venus and the Arrotino are handled with confidence.
RELATED LITERATURE
The French Bronze 1500-1800, exh. cat. M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1968, nos. 27A and 27B; F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique. The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven/ London, 1981, pp. 154-157, 321-323, nos. 11 and 86; F. Souchal, French Sculptors of the 17th and 18th centuries. The reign of Louis XIV. Illustrated Catalogue. Supplementary Volume A-Z. London/ Boston, 1993, pp. 54-55, nos. 37a, 37b; G. Bresc-Bautier (ed.), Les sculptures européennes du musée du Louvre, cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2006, p. 150, inv. no. MR 1853