North Italian, 19th century In early 16th-century style

inscribed: AQVA / ET AER / VITAE / ELEMENTA

Inventory of L. Bernheimer, at Palais Bernheimer, Lenbachplatz, Munich 

Given its placement outdoors, the condition of the stone is good overall, with wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. The base is carved separately and a few pieces are loose. The coloured limestone panels on the base are lost except one, which is loose. Another panel is lost on the body of the well head. There is weathering to the surface throughout, having led to to horizontal stable fissures to the stone consistent with the material. There is dirt throughout, including green residue, in particular to the top and the inside. There are also a few black dirt marks to the carvings. A section at the top was probably carved separately and may have been reattached, and another small section at the top is loose. There are a few losses, including to the corners at the bottom. There are numerous chips and abrasions, in particular to the edges and high points.
"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."

Venetian well heads are icons of the Floating City, having supplied its population with water over centuries. Their diverse styles, reflecting the architectural history of Venice, and their timeless decorative qualities provoked a well-head 'Renaissance' in the later history of garden sculpture, when they no longer served their original purpose. As the taste for Italian Renaissance objects grew in Western Europe and North America in the second half of the 19th century, many well heads were removed from their Venetian settings and installed in the gardens of country houses. The same demand created a market for high-quality replicas and pastiches of medieval and Renaissance well heads. These were made by Italian craftsmen using traditional materials such as Istrian stone and Verona marble, and exported by companies catering for customers of garden sculpture. A major firm offering such objects in the United Kingdom was JP White, whose catalogues from around 1900 show several modern well heads of varying quality.  

The present well head is a remarkably attractive and finely carved example of such 19th-century pieces made for export. Its creation is likely to precede the 1880s, when Otto Bernheimer is thought to have acquired it as one of his first purchases from Italy. Carved in Istrian stone, it imaginatively plays on Renaissance motifs and incorporates a wealth of intricate ornament. Another version of the same design, also in Istrian stone, is housed in the San Francisco Museum of Fine Art and dated to the 19th century (inv. no. 66.41.2a). The location of this example testifies to the far-reaching export network of Renaissance-style well heads.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Davis, Antique Garden Ornament, Woodbridge, 1991, pp. 238-241 and 302-204