Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli (active mid to late 18th century) Italian, Rome, 18th century After the Antique

Hugh Honour FRSL (1927-2016) and John Fleming (1919-2001), Villa Marchiò, Tofori, Tuscany, Italy

H. Honour, 'Bronze Statuettes by Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli', The Conoisseur, November 1961, pp. 198-205, fig. 7

Overall, the condition of the bronze is good, with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is particular dirt in the crevices. There is rubbing to the patina, particularly at the high points. There is some greening to the bronze, in particular to the abdomen and the legs. There is a small patch to the proper left thigh. There are minor scratches in areas, in particular scratches to the edges of the base. There is also minor warping to the edges of the base.
"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."

A list of works offered for sale around 1795 by Giovanni Zoffoli was first published by Hugh Honour (op. cit. p. 205) in 1961: the present bronze is a cast of the 'Fauno di Firenze', which Honour annotates as 'the faun with the cymbals in the Uffizi'. Honour further cites two known autograph versions of the bronze by Zoffoli: the present cast, then in the collection of Mr. John Fleming, and another at Schloss Wörlitz, Germany. 

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique, The Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500-1900, London, 1982, pp. 205-208

The Late Hugh Honour and John Fleming

This elegant collection of Grand Tour bronzes and marbles was formed by the art historians and Italophiles, the late Hugh Honour and John Fleming. Together they wrote the famous A World History of Art, still one of the standard texts for any aspiring art historian, whilst Honour’s witty Companion Guide to Venice (1965) is still enjoyed by visitors to the Serenissma to this day. Honour was a leading authority on Antonio Canova and Neoclassicism. In Honour’s obituary for the Burlington Magazine, Nicholas Penny writes that he was able to ‘transform the reputation of one of the greatest of all European artists’ and brought his elegant and reliable knowledge to an increasingly wider audience throughout his life.

The collection includes a rare autograph Caracalla by Francis Harwood, the British sculptor who lived in Florence, supplying high quality marbles to Grand Tourists and royalty, including Catherine the Great of Russia. The larger portion of the collection includes one of the most important groupings of Zoffoli bronzes to have come to market, the majority of which were published by Honour in his defining article on the Zoffoli workshop: 'Bronze Statuettes by Giacomo and Giovanni Zoffoli', The Conoisseur, November 1961 pp. 198-205.

Earlier this year Sotheby’s sold John Deare’s magisterial Eleanor and Edward from Hugh Honour and John Fleming’s collection, Treasures, 5 July 2017, lot 35. It is a great privilege for Sotheby’s to offer the wider collection of two of the most respected Italophile British art historians of the 20^th century.