Italian, Venice, second half 12th century

with a label inscribed: SOTHEBY PARKE BERNET / Arsenalsgatan 4, Stockholm / prop. no. / SPB5005 / FP on the reverse

private collection, Sweden;
Sotheby's London, 20 April 1989, lot 24;
Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, Villa Favorita, Lugano;
by descent to the present owners

There is weathering to the surface throughout, consistent with placement outside. There are abrasions and minor losses to the surface throughout, and in particular to the framing pattern and the decorations at the top. Further losses include: to one of the legs of the peacock on the left side, to the legs of the birds at the top, to the deer's proper right front hooves, and to part of the lion's tail. There is a stable fissure to the stone on the left side, running from the top edge through the top left bird and the left peacock's neck through to the left peacock's tail feathers. There is dirt to the surface, notably dark-coloured dirt at the bottom. Otherwise the condition of the marble is stable. There is a hole to the top at the front. There are two large and three smaller metal mounts at the back.
"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 his survey of medieval statues and reliefs embedded in the walls of Venice, Rizzi includes numerous versions of the present subject, the Fountain of Life. Each of these reliefs is carved from marble, is rectangular, is framed by the typically Venetian alternating pattern of cubes, and has a rounded, pointed, or, as is the case here, ogee-shaped top edge. At their simplest they only include the two peacocks drinking from a basin atop a column. A beautiful example of this is embedded in the wall on the first floor of the house on the Rio dei Fontego dei Tedeschi number 5516 (Rizzi, op.cit., no. SM 395). Three of the reliefs illustrated by Rizzi incorporate the menagerie that is represented here. The carvings embedded in the campanile of the church of Sant’Aponal, on the interior of the lower ground floor of the Ca’ d’Oro, and in the courtyard of the Ca’ Morosini del Pestrin, each feature the peacocks, the caressing doves at the top, and the lion attacking a deer at the base of the column (Rizzi, op.cit., nos. SP 127/H, CN 239, and OCI 34). Of these three, only the latter, which Rizzi dates to the second half of the 12^th century, approaches the large size and level of preservation of the present relief. Both show painstakingly rendered feathers, fur, and manes, and preserve the drill work used to accentuate, eyes, beaks, ears, and the ends of the peacock’s tail feathers.

The Fountains of Life and Youth feature often in mythology and religious scripts in both the West and East, including the writings of Herodotus, the Alexander Romance, and the stories of Prester John. In the Bible it is said that God will let those who are thirsty drink from the fountain of the water of life (Revelations (2:16)). The passage inspired images such as the paradisiacal baptismal font surrounded by columns, peacocks and other animals in the Godescalc Evangelistary made in 781-783 on the occasion of Charlemagne’s march to Italy and the baptism his son Pepin there, which, in turn, relies on Eastern manuscripts and classical antiquity (Paris, BNF. lat.1203).

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Rizzi, Scultura esterna a Venezia. Corpus delle sculture erratiche all'aperto di Venezia della sua laguna, Venice, 1987, pp. 157, 282-283, 355, 357-358, 403 and 576