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Pair of Carrara Marble Busts of the Emperor Napoleon and Empress Marie Louise

Circa 1807-10

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...

This monumental bust is a museum-quality example of Roman Baroque sculpture. Crafted by the legendary Domenico Guidi and carved from Carrara marble, the impressive portrait captures the visage of Pope Innocent XI, Benedetto Odescalchi (1611-1689). It presents a larger-than-life example of Guidi’s remarkable skill as a sculptor, which ultimately made his workshop one of the most important in Rome during his age. Today, his works are rarely found on the market, particularly his extraordinary works in marble. Pope Innocent XI was born Benedetto Odescalchi into an Italian noble family of prominent bankers. Spending his early years in banking, he eventually turned to the law, earning his doctorate in 1639. His background would serve him well in his service to the papacy, and he became known as a frugal and devout member of the Church. In 1676, he was unanimously elected Pop after the death of Clement X. During his nearly 13-year reign, he instilled his own personal ideals of austerity and frugality onto the Church, with a deep commitment to reform and piety. He is captured here by Guidi in his traditional Pope’s mozzetta and camauro cap. A wide stole is draped over his shoulders, ornamented by acanthus leaves and the coat of arms of the Odescalchi family. It displays Guidi’s mastery over the chiaroscuro effect, particularly in the high level of contrast in his cheeks and his eyes, which Guidi achieved through various methods of high polish. A very similar portrait sculpture of Pope Innocent XI by Guidi can be found in the collection of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The Warsaw bust belongs to a series of portraits of popes which the Odescalchi family commissioned from Domenico Guidi in the 1690s. Compared to that example, the present bust is far more dramatic, with deeper cut lines and a more precise expression. It is likely that the present piece was seen by the Odescalchi family, who ordered a similar one to be made. The piece was almost certainly intended to be displayed in a niche, given its dramatic cutting and its roughly carved back. Others of Guidi’s busts can be found in important collections throughout Italy, England and the United States, though many of these are lesser bronze repetitions. A bronze bust of the Pope Alexander VIII by Guidi is currently in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), while a terracotta version of the same is in the Los Angeles County Museum. A bronze of Pope Alexander VIII can be found in the Princely Collection of Lichtenstein, and his impressive marble papal bust of Clement IX graces the pope’s tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore. The present bust of Pope...

Émile Pinedo 1840-1916 French Bronze Reliefs of Minerva and Mars Bronze These exceptional bronze reliefs depicting the Roman deities Minerva and Mars represent the pinnacle of 19...

Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1848-1907 American Young Emperor Augustus Marble This extraordinary marble bust by revered American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is crafted in the class...

An extremely well carved pair of Statuary Carrara marble busts on marble pedestals, by important sculptor Odoardo Fantacchiotti.  Odoardo Fantacchiotti (11 May 1811–4 June 1877) was an Italian sculptor of the late-Neoclassic period. He was born in Rome, but his family moved to Florence. In 1820, he enrolled in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. At the Academy, he studied under S. Ricci, and first started exhibiting in 1828. Gaining the patronage of the Grand Duke, he continued his studies, following the ideas of Aristodemo Costoli of depicting the "bello naturale". In 1839 at the Academy, he exhibited the work of the Massacre of the Innocents. In 1840 he was named professor at the Academy. Among his public works are the statue of Boccaacio and dell'Accorso for the ground floor niches of the courtyard of the Uffizi, medallions commemorating Francesco Redi and the bust of Ferdinando II de Medici for the Museo della Specola, a statue of Sallustio Bandini (now at the Accademia dei Georgeofili, but initially planned for the loggia of the Uffizi. A marble Virgin...

An Outstanding Pair 19th Century Italian Hand-Carved Carrara Marble Busts of Apollo & Artemis, One Bust is Signed on the Back, "F Vichi". This pair of stunning marble busts, hand-car...

The product is a pair of 19th Century Carrara Marble Busts featuring depictions of Apollo and Diana displayed on pedestals. These sculptures are presented in a Bust format, showcasin...

A pair of Royal Busts Of Clotilde of France, Queen of Sardinia And Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, Dauphine of France Both noblewomen carved from marble and dressed in contemporary fashion, wearing luxurious flowing garments, their hair coiffed, done up and ribbon-tied. On Sienna marble octagonal pedestals. French, circa 1880 Dimensions: H: 79 in / 200 cm The Two "Marie Adélaïde's" The marble portrait busts represent two French royal figures, Clotilde of France and her great-grandmother Marie Adélaïde of Savoy. Marie Adélaïde Clotilde Xavière, known as Clotilde of France (1759-1802), was Queen of Sardinia and the younger sister of King Louis XVI of France, who was married to Marie Antoinette. Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (1685-1712) was the Dauphine of France and Duchess of Burgundy. The famous sculptor Antoine Coysevox...