Italian, circa 1830-1850

The Flora Farnese is one of the iconic ancient marbles of the celebrated Farnese collection, which was originally displayed in the courtyard of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome and is now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. The present marble is a particularly beautifully carved reduction of the famous model, and is reminiscent of late Neoclassical sculpture in Rome, particularly works made in Thorvaldsen's prolific workshop (circa 1820-1830s), which employed a large number of skilled marble carvers.

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1600, New Haven and Yale, 1981, pp. 217-218, no. 41