Domenico Guidi

Bust of Pope Innocent XI Odescalchi by Domenico Guidi

Circa 1690

After François Girardon 1628-1715 French Pluto Abducting Proserpine Bronze This High Baroque period composition captures the famed narrative of Pluto and Proserpine from Roman mythology. The late 17th-century patinated bronze, created after François Girardon's marble composition, captures the very moment that Pluto seizes Proserpine. The anguished goddess reaches skyward, attempting to escape the god’s grasp while Pluto’s stoic face betrays his knowledge that his ploy will succeed. This pivotal moment in the mythological tale has captured the imagination of many art historical greats, from Bernini to Rubens. François Girardon’s version of the climax demonstrates incredible finesse and artistry, modeled expertly in bronze in the present work by a later sculptor. The statue brings a twist of intertwined bodies into a dynamic frenzy, paralleling the tension of the legendary story. In ancient Roman mythology, Proserpine, the beautiful daughter of Ceres — known as Persephone in Greek mythology — was picking flowers in the fields when she was suddenly abducted by Pluto, the god of the underworld, and taken to his kingdom. Consumed with grief, her mother Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, scorches the earth, stopping the growth of grain and fruit. Jupiter attempts to intervene and secure Proserpine’s return to earth, negotiating a compromise with Pluto and the Fates that allows Proserpine to be released for part of the year before returning to Pluto’s underworld. Proserpine’s journey back and forth is an allegory for the changing seasons; when Prosperine is with her mother, the earth warms and provides bountiful harvests. Upon her annual return to the underworld, however, the earth once again becomes cold and barren. After returning to France after years of training in Rome, François Girardon quickly rose to become one of the greatest artists in France. He was elected a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1657 and would become Chancellor of the Royal Academy in 1695. The artist was approached frequently for royal commissions and Girardon’s Pluto was originally commissioned by Louis XIV for the gardens at his Palace of Versailles. It was one of four monumental marble groups intended to decorate the corners of Charles Le Brun’s never completed garden at the chateau, the Parterre d’Eau. Each group of three figures symbolized one of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Pluto’s association with hell made him the apt...

Laocoön and his Sons Italian Bronze Group after Agesander, Polydorus and Anthenodorus Late 18th Century “The greatest piece of art in the world.” - Michelangelo, Italian sculptor, p...

Adriaen de Vries 1556-1626 Dutch Laocoön and His Sons Bronze A remarkable feat of artistry and skill, this bronze sculpture was created by famed Dutch artist Adriaen de Vries. Full of the swelling emotions and dramatic posing so quintessential to the period, the bronze is a masterclass in Baroque sculpture. The original Laocoön marble sculpture, after which this remarkable bronze was modeled, unquestionably influenced the lives and works of countless artists, authors, popes, kings and emperors since its re-discovery in 1506. Famously, Michelangelo declared the sculpture, created circa 35 BC, as the “greatest piece of art in the world.” Adriaen de Vries, an apprentice of the great sculptor Giambologna, undoubtedly sought to prove his skill and creative voice with his own depiction of this most famous scene. Known for his virtuosic casting technique, this rare and important sculpture embodies de Vries’ mastery. The story of Laocoön is one of the most famous in all of literature. As told by the poet Virgil, the Greeks, after an unsuccessful ten-year siege on the city of Troy, the Greeks craftily left a giant wooden horse outside the gates...

Masquerade, a traditional yet playful composition by Fortunato Galli, reflects the realism and intricacy that defined Italian sculpture at the end of the 19th century. Magnificently ...

Beautifully detailed and lifelike, Venus and Cupid share a soft embrace in this remarkable Italian white marble sculpture. The feminine beauty gracefully leans against roughened rock...

Infused with a crisp modernity and subtle sensuality, this bronze sculpture by Cuban-born artist Agustin Cárdenas is an exceptional example of late-2...

Signed: A. Carrier-Belluese Two large bronze matching busts of an unknown male and female 22 x 10 x 11" male 23 x 10 x 9" female Both show signs of wear with their age but are in fa...

This lamb is also featured in my statue of Saint David. It conveys such character and gentleness that I decided to present it as a sculpture in its own right. I lays on a base of bla...

Joan of Arc is depicted here at a solo exhibition in St. Edwards chapel at St. David's Cathedral, South Wales. Hand carved from a solid block of Carrara marble imported from Italy, Davies used traditional tools also used by the master sculptors of the renaissance. She is life size and expresses purity of soul as you see her in Divine contemplation. This portrait bust sits proportionately on a marble socle, the design of which is from the classical Ionic order.

GIOVANNI BATTISTA LOMBARDI (ITALIAN, 1822-1880) A fine marble statue titled Susanna al Bagno sitting on a revolving pedestal carved in relief with...

A beautifully hand carved, full size Carrara marble figure of a boy. The robe is elegantly draped with clasps.

An extraordinary 17th century, hand-carved, solid Carrara marble, life sized figure fragment on raised base of the same. The subject is swaddled in a luxurious, gathered robe and tun...