ITALIAN, 19TH CENTURY, AFTER THE ANTIQUE | NARCISSUS

The exceptional quality in the casting, chasing and patina of this bronze demonstrates that the unknown foundry which cast it, presumably in Naples following the discovery of the ancient Roman bronze in Pompeii in 1862, had the skill to produce a bronze that rivals works cast in the 18th century. The exquisite textures in the hair and delicate wisps of hair chased into the hairline are reminiscent of bronzes made in Florence around the time of Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi and Pietro Cipriani during the first half of the 18th century.