Francesco Righetti I (1738-1819) Italian, Rome, 1789 After the Antique

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

Overall, the condition of the bronze is very good, with some dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is some rubbing to the bronze at the high points, including to the arms and legs of Menelaus and to the torso of Patroclus. There is particular dirt in the crevices. There is an area of minor pitting to the back of Patroclus' proper left leg. The inside of the bronze is filled with a composite material.
"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."

Francesco Righetti was one of the foremost bronze-founders of Rome in the late 18th and early 19th century. A student of Luigi Valadier (1726-1785), Righetti followed in his master's footsteps, his name still being closely associated with the spirit of the Grand Tour. His bronzes were praised for the high quality of the casting and finish. However, not many autograph bronzes by Righetti survive, and, considering his long career and the long list of bronzes which he offered for sale in 1794 (op. cit. p. 343), it must be concluded that he only signed a small number. 

The present model is named Pasquino after the famous antique original, which can still be found on the Piazza Pasquino in Rome, and is known as one of Rome's 'talking statues'. However, two further, more complete, versions of the antique model were found, the most famous of which was bought by Cosimo I de'Medici in 1570. It was later restored using a model by Pietro Tacca, and can still be seen in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. The present bronze seems to be a combination of this restored version and the fragmentary Roman Pasquino: the 'limp arm' of Patroclus is characteristic of the Tacca restoration, but Menelaus' upturned gaze, seemingly in despair, can only be seen on the fragmentary Pasquino.

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500-1900, London, 1982, pp. 291-296, 343

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.