After a model by Michel Anguier (1613-1686) French, late 17th century

Overall the condition of the bronze is good with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age, with particular wear to the tops of the fingers on the proper left hand. There are scratches to the surface, particularly on the figure's back and on the upper part of the proper right arm. There is rubbing to the patina at the high points, particularly to the torso and on the proper right leg. There is dryness to the crevices, particularly at the base. There are three lacunae present on the inside of the drapery at the proper right side, one where the proper right hand clutches the drapery, one where the proper right arm meets the hip and one between the thighs on the reverse.
"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."

The present bronze belongs to a series of six gods conceived by Michel Anguier for Pierre Le Tessier de Montarsy in 1652. It has recently been revealed by Philippe Malgouyres (op.cit.) that Anguier’s series was possibly inspired by the important collection of lute music assembled by the amateur musician Anne de Chambré, who moved in the same circles as Anguier. Chambré’s catalogue, entitled ‘Rhétorique des Dieux’, was adorned with illustrations by such artists as Le Sueur and Robert Nanteuil. He explains in his introduction how each of the twelve ancient modes into which the pieces were classified correspond to both a human emotion and to a particular god.  This rhymes with Guillet de Saint Georges' Mémoires inéditsof Anguier, which revealed that the sculptor intended the series of deities to correspond to a hierarchy of emotions. The sculptor conceived them as three mythological couples, each with distinctive temperaments characterised by one of the four elements: Amphitrite and Neptune (water), Ceres and Pluto (earth), Juno and Jupiter (air). Anguier himself gave a lecture about the group in the Académie Royale in Paris in 1676. There he described the present goddess as 'fraîche, délicate, claire et transparente, son visage agréable et tout le reste de son corps de mesme...ses drapperies seront amples delicattes et ondées...'.

The original set of six bronzes was sold in 1689 to Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1651-1710). The earliest record of individual bronzes cast after these models are the Amphitrite, Jupiter and Juno given in 1693 by Le Notre to Louis XIV which are now in the Louvre (inv. no. OA 11897), fig.1.  The present bronze compares well to the version in the Louvre: in both, her left foot is standing on the dolphin's mouth, its body partly hidden by the falling drapery, and there are large overlapping scales covering the dolphin’s body. Further to this, Amphitrite's hair is held with two bands running around her forehead, her svelte body is wrapped elegantly in the drapery, and her head is slightly turned to her left looking curiously at the crayfish in her hand. The base, with the finely chiselled plinth modelled in high relief to simulate flowing water, compares well to the cast in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 14.40.960). Another cast of Amphitritewas sold in these rooms 6 July 2007, lot 118.

RELATED LITERATURE
I. Wardropper, ‘Michel Anguier’s Series of Bronze Gods and Goddesses: a Re-Examination’, Marsyas XVIII, New York, 1976, pp. 23-33, pl. VIII, fig. 9; Masterpieces from the Louvre. French bronzes and paintings from the renaissance to Rodin, exh. cat. Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, 1988, pp. 63-64 and 155, no. 18; V. Krahn, Von Allen Seiten Schön, exh. cat, Altes Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 1996, pp.568-569, nos. 218 and 219; Les Bronzes de la Couronne, exh.cat. Louvre, Paris, 1999, pp.130,133-134; P. Malgouyres, 'Sous l'Empire des passions. Entre colère et terreur', Figures de la passion, exh. cat. Musée de la musique, Paris, 2001-2002, pp. 182-185, fig. 54; G. Bresc-Bautier, ‘Le Petit Bronze’, Un temps d'exubérance. Les arts décoratifs sous Louis XIII et Anne d'Autriche, exh. cat., Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 2002, pp. 427 and 431, no. 301b