Lot 34
  • 34

A Bronze Figure of Aphrodite, Eastern Mediterranean, Roman Imperial, circa 2nd Century A.D.

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description

  • A Bronze Figure of Aphrodite, Eastern Mediterranean
  • Bronze
  • Height 13 1/2 in. 34.3 cm.
standing with the weight on her left leg, her head turned to her right, and wearing a necklace with pendent ornaments, her centrally parted hair bound in a diadem, tied in a top-knot and chignon, and falling in long locks over the shoulders, the eyes with indented pupils.

Provenance

William Welles Bosworth (1868-1966), Villa Marietta, Vaucresson, Hauts-de-Seine, France
private collection, Spain, by descent from the above (Rouillac, Cheverny, June 9th, 2013, no. 121, illus.)

Condition

Surface thoroughly cleaned and very lightly varnished. There is an ancient square patch made of bronze above the proper right knee with a stress crack extending behind towards the back of the thigh. Apparent casting flaw underneath the left buttock, and chaplet hole missing patcho n proper right hip.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

William Welles Bosworth, known as the personal architect of John D. Rockefeller Jr., was responsibile for much of the architecture at Rockefeller's Kykuit estate, as well as MIT's campus in Cambridge, Mass. Despite these and other high-profile designs, Bosworth was better known in France, where he was one of the few Americans ever to receive the Legion of Honor and the French Cross of the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters for his restoration of Versailles and Notre-Dame de Reims, both funded by Rockefeller.

As these projects ended in 1936, Bosworth began work on the Villa Marietta in Vaucresson, remaining in France with his family and eventually becoming an associate member of the École des Beaux-Arts, where he had received his architectural training early in his career.