An Italian gilt-bronze and bronze athenienne by Luigi and Francesco Manfredini, Milan circa 1811-13

now inset with a later Egyptian porphyry top within a gilt-bronze border inset with medals depicting neo-classical figures including Mercury, Minerva, and various gods and goddesses flanked by a flaming baluster vase and putti amongst scrolling foliage on a tripod stand, the frieze applied with bucrania suspending ribbon-tied berried laurel swags above a border of bellflowers on a stippled ground above three seated female sphinxes issuing stylised foliage and scrolls on lion monopodia cast with the mask of Hercules, scrolling foliage and anthemions joined by stretchers on a concave-sided triform base, on brass castors

Possibly ordered and given as a gift by Eugène de Beauharnais (1781-1824), Viceroy of Italy to a member of the Imperial family, see fig. 1.
European Private Collector

In overall very good restored condition. The colour of gilding is less greenish and more golden, natural and attractive than in the catalogue photograph.The quality of the casting of the bronze and gilt-bronze is exceptional. One of the flowers suspended from the scrolls is slightly loose but could easily be resoldered. The triform base is slightly pitted as visible from the photograph. There are a couple of very small pitting marks on the gilt bronze border on the base of the frieze which are hardly noticeable together with a miniscule elliptical shaped loss to the same border.
"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."

Comparative Literature:
B. Gallizia di Vergano, la manifattura dell’Eugenia dei fratelli Manfredini, in the ‘Splendori del Bronzo. Mobili e oggetti d’arredo tra Francia e Italia 1750/1850’. Catalogo della mostra, a cura di G.Beretti, Turin, 2002.
"Discorsi letti nella Grande Aula del Regio Cesareo Palazzo delle Scienze e delle Arti in Milano in occasione della solenne distribuzione de'premi della Cesarea Regia Accademia delle Belle Arti fattasi da S.E. il signor Conte di Saurau, Governatore di Milano il giorno onomastico di S.M. l'Imperatrice e Regina 25 agosto 1815", Milano 1815, dalla Cesarea Regia Stamperia di Governo, p. 68., where a tripod of this type is mentioned. 
E. Colle, A. Griseri, R. Valeriani, Bronzi Decorativi in Italia, Milan, 2001, pp. 290-291.
M.A. Flit et al., Pavlovsk, The Palace and the Park, Paris, 1993, p. 131.
Leon de Groër, Decorative Arts in Europe 1790 à 1850, Fribourg,1985, p. 14.
Alvar González-Palacios, Il Tempio del Gusto Roma e il Regno delle due Sicilie, Vol. II, Milan, 1986, p. 276 and 277, for a related tripod table by Luigi Righetti, circa 1815, in the Reggia di Capodimonte, Naples.
Ed. A. Koutchoumov, Pavlovsk, Le Palais et le Parc, St. Petersburg, Leningrad,1976, pp. 78-79.
Hans Ottomeyer/Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronze, Vol. I, Munich, 1986, p. 402.

This supremely elegant athenienne with its exquisitely cast and chased gilt-bronze decoration is an exciting new discovery in the oeuvre of Luigi and Francesco Manfredini. The form of this piece is based upon the celebrated Roman Antique tripod excavated at Pompeii, now in the Museo Nazionale, Naples, illustrated by de Groer, op. cit., p. 14, fig.1, reproduced here in fig. 2.

There are several related examples of these atheniennes all made by Luigi and Francesco Manfredini in the early years of the 19th century, in various combinations of bronze and gilt-bronze and lapis lazuli with variations in the top and base, some with basins and others with flat marble or hardstone tops. They all have links in some way with the birth of Napoleon’s son, the King of Rome. There is also a theory that all these related atheniennes were gifts from the Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s stepson, to close members of his family.   

Manfredini’s masterpiece is the magnificent gilt-bronze and lapis lazuli tripod and basin made in 1811, believed to have been a gift from either Eugène de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy or from the City of Milan to the Emperor Napoleon on the birth of his son. The gilt-bronze and lapis lazuli tripod of 1811 is the most accurate reproduction with adaptations of the antique tripod which was excavated in Herculaneum on 18th July 1748, described by Winckelmann as ‘among the most beautiful things that have been discovered’. The athenienne by the Manfredini's gifted to Napoleon, is now in the Schatzkammmer at the Hofburg in Vienna, illustrated by E. Colle, et. al,  op. cit. p. 290-291, no. 87, reproduced here in fig. 3. The Vienna athenienne has a lapis lazuli frieze and base with gilt-bronze decoration and legs, the outer border of the top has medallions as upon the offered example. The Vienna example is inscribed `Inventato ed eseguito dai frli Manfredini nella ra manifra della fontana nell’anno 1811’.

A second example, almost a pair to the Vienna athenienne, the full provenance of which still remains to be established, is tentatively believed to have been ordered by Eugène de Beauharnais, in 1813, as a present to a member of the Imperial family, had been on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum London, (subsequently sold Christie’s London, The Exceptional sale 7^th July 2011, lot 7, for £612,450.). The central bowl was decorated with `The Triumph of Galatea’ and the border depicts gods and goddesses. It was signed and dated to the underside ` Inventato e Eseguito dai Fratelli Manfredini Alla Regia Manifat della Fontana Milano Anno 1813’. This example and the Vienna one are the only two atheniennes bearing the dated inscriptions of the Manfredini brothers. The Victoria and Albert athenienne is stated to have possibly been intended as a present to the Empress Marie-Louise.

A third example was formerly in the collection of Prince Essling, then in the collection of Marshall Massina, now in the Musée Massena, Nice, illustrated by Groer, op. cit., p. 14, fig. 2, reproduced here in fig. 4. It differs with the present example in that it has a domed cover and the lower section is in bronze. This Massena example is not signed but it also thought to be by the Manfredini workshop.

It is worthwhile considering a fourth athenienne (excluding the offered one), in the State Bedchamber at Pavlovsk Palace, St. Petersburg, with a lapis lazuli frieze and base, surmounted by a marble top which lends support to the theory that the offered example was never originally conceived with a basin but always a flat top. The Pavlovsk example is illustrated by Koutchoumov op. cit., pp. 78-79 in the State Bedchamber and reproduced here in fig. 5.  Prince Eugène's de Beauharnais's son, Maximillian, Duke of Leuchtenberg, was invited by Czar Nicholas I to settle with his unmarried sisters in St. Petersburg and was given a place to live, re-named the Leuchtenberg Palace and he married Czar Nicholas's daughter Maria Nicholaevna, which may explain how the aforementioned athenienne came to be in Pavlovsk.

Furthermore, another athenienne was recorded in the inventory of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the father-in-law of Eugène de Beauharnais and stated to be a present to King Maximilian by Eugène which lends support to the theory that all these related atheniennes were gifts from the Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais to close members of his family. The nephew of the Manfredini brothers implied that by 1880-four such atheniennes were known to be in the collections of the King of Bavaria including two with a verde antico marble top instead of blue lapis lazuli which is more costly again reinforcing the notion that the offered piece was originally conceived with a flat top. The athenienne at Pavlovsk may be one of those previously recorded in the King of Bavaria’s collections.

A further athenienne in gilt-bronze and verde antico marble which sold from the collection of Léonce Rosenberg, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 3^rd-4^th May 1932, was with Galerie Kugel (`Antiquomania’, A. Kugel, Paris, 2010, cat. 7).

The Temple of Isis and the Tripod and its influence on designers:

The Temple of Isis was a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis. This small and almost intact temple was among one of the first discoveries during the excavation of Pompeii in 1764. Its role as a Hellenized Egyptian temple in a Roman colony was fully confirmed with an inscription detailed by Francisco la Vega on July 20, 1765. There is an engraving of the tripod from the Temple of Isis, Pompeii by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in 1779. This type of tripod was also popularised by an engraving in C. Percier and P. Fontaine’s, Receuil de Décorations Intérieures of 1801. Furthermore, there is also a watercolour now in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris, illustrated by D. Irwin, Neoclassicism,  London, 1997, fig. 211, showing this type of tripod  displayed at the 1801 Exposition des Produits de L’Industrie in the Louvre.

The Manfredini brothers and the Eugenia Manufactory in Milan:
The Manfredini were three brothers: Francesco (d. 1810), Luigi (1771-1840) and Antonio, originating from Bologna, who specialised in the production of elaborate furniture in gilt-bronze after designs by the most outstanding designers and ornamentalists of the period. They moved to Milan from Bologna in 1798 and Luigi worked in the Mint becoming head engraver in 1808 and he made a number of medals for the Emperor and established a reputation as the leading Italian medallist in the first half of the 19th century. According to B. Gallizia di Vergano, op. cit., he studied at the Accademia Clementina, Bologna, under the sculptor De Maria. As engraver for the Regia Zecca in Milan beginning in 1798, Luigi joined his brother in Paris in 1804, and Francesco established a workshop known as the `"Bigiottiere" d'Indoratura dei metalli e d'orlogeria" around 1803-1804. This was due in the main to a grant he received to specialize in the production of jewels and the manufacturing of enamels and clockcases amongst other things.

In 1806-7, Francesco Manfredini established, with his brothers Antonio and Luigi, the Manufacture Royale de Bronze de Fontana - the Fontana foundry - on the site of a former convent near the Porta Cosima, Milan. This was under the protection of the Viceroy, Eugène de Beauharnais. Here they produced bronze busts of Napoleon and reductions of sculptures by Canova as well as decorative pieces including tripods and surtouts de tables and Luigi Manfredini was in charge of the foundry. He was the most influential of the three brothers and was appointed Professor dell’Arte della Medaglia at the Brera Accademia di Belle Arte, Milan, in 1801.

The eldest brother Francesco Manfredini(d. 1810) who worked in the workshop making gilt-bronze, clocks and jewels was active in Paris between 1803 and 1804, where he had his own workshop. During this period he was known to have taken trips to London and in 1803, Francesco was in London to perfect his knowledge in the field of watchmaking as instructed by Francesco Melzi, and also to study the machinery at Boulton & Watt to mint coins. Francesco's work was mostly appreciated by the French and Italian aristocracy. The third brother, Antonio, followed the same path thanks to the patronage of Eugene de Beauharnais (1781-1824), stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte. Antonio went to Paris to promote Italian manufacturing and crafts abroad. Eugène de Beauharnais believed that by manufacturing jewels, enamels, and clocks Antonio could improve Italian craftsmanship. These grants for the arts encouraged the opening of the Eugenia Manufactory in Milan, a place where Francesco would return to become the official clockmaker for the King. In 1808, the manufactury started production and some works were selected for an exhibition, ‘degli oggetti d’arti e mestieri’ at the Academy of Brera, including a table clock adorned with statues and gilt-bronze frieze representing the Aurora of Guido Reni which was awarded a prize.

Before 1810, candelabra, vases and clocks were mostly produced by the Manufactory for Palazzo Reale in Milan. Between 1810 and 1814, the three brothers produced a clock signed ‘Manfredini Orolo.ro del Re Milano,’ which represents the Huntress Diana on her chariot, now in Milan at the Palazzo Isimbardi. It is conceivable that Francesco acquired some clock cases during his time spent in France and brought them to Milan.  Some of the Manfredini output illustrates a technique similar to celebrated French bronziers such as Claude Galle (1759-1815) and Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751-1843).

On June 16th, 1810, Francesco died and Luigi and Antonio inherited the manfactory. They also rediscovered the process of sand casting to a large extent, which can be seen in the decoration of equestrian statues of the Arco della pace del Sempione in Milan.

In 1823, Giovan Battista Viscardi (1791-1859) became partner in the manufactory by marrying Costanza, the daughter of Francesco Manfredini. He had worked in manufacturing since 1807. In 1822, the manufactory began to be called ‘Luigi Manfredini and Company’ until 1858. During the years 1822/1823 until 1838,  the commissions for small works remained high, however, simultaneously, a variety pieces were commissioned by aristocrats. Furthermore, Giovanni Francesco gave a commission for the decoration of the family Chapel in Bellagio, after a design by Giocondo Albertolli (1742-1839) and it was during these years that the collaboration between Luigi Manfredini and the Bolonese architect Pelagio Palagi (1775-1860) began.

In 1840, Luigi Manfredini died. Viscardi took over the commissions started by Manfredini: two figures in bronze of Castor and Pollux after a design by Abondio Sangiorgio at the Palazzo Reale in Turin and the satyrs seen on the fountain in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. Giovan Battista Viscardi maintained the manufactory until 1853. The works commissioned by royal and aristocratic patrons perfectly illustrate the ‘Manfredini style,’ which was a style characterized by the use of classical motifs from drawings by Palagi and Moglia, as well as a technique similar to the celebrated French bronziers such as Thomire and Galle.

Eugène de Beauharnais (1781-1824):
Eugène de Beauharnais was the only son of Vicomte Alexandre de Beauharnais (1760-96) and his wife Josephine (1763-1814). The Vicomte was guillotined in 1794 but his wife and children were released. In 1796 Josephine de Beauharnais married Napoleon Bonaparte and, in 1804, became Empress of France when her husband assumed the crown. Their marriage was childless and Napoleon adopted his stepson, Eugène, with the idea of declaring him his heir. He was raised to the rank of Imperial Highness and styled Prince Eugène Napoleon of France. In 1810, Napoleon and Josephine were divorced, Napoleon married Maria-Louisa of Austria and a male heir was born in 1811, thus eradicating Eugène's chance of ever inheriting the French throne.

In 1805, Eugène married the daughter of the King of Bavaria and was made a Chancellor of State of the French Empire and later Viceroy of Italy and Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army in Italy. In 1810, he was offered the throne of either Sweden, Poland or Greece, but chose to stay on as Viceroy of Italy, later accompanying his former step-father on his ill-fated invasion of Russia. After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Eugène returned to his father- in-law's kingdom of Bavaria where he was created Duke of Leuchtenberg and Prince of Eichstaff. He died prematurely in 1824.
Prince Eugène's son, Maximillian, Duke of Leuchtenberg, was invited by Czar Nicholas I to settle with his unmarried sisters in St. Petersburg and was given a place to live, re-named the Leuchtenberg Palace. He married Czar Nicholas's daughter Maria Nicholaevna.