Vincenzo Bentivenga

The Siren

1909

Randolph John Rogers (American, 1825 - 1892) Randolph Rogers' Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii debuted in 1856 to critical and public acclaim, solidifying Rogers’ position as a pre-eminent American sculptor and it remains one of the artist’s most celebrated works today. The subject of Nydia is drawn from Edward Bulwer-Lytton's The Last Days of Pompeii 1834. After touring the ruins of the ancient city in 1833, and inspired by the stories of blinding volcanic ash, he composed the tale of Nydia, a slave who led her master, Glaucus, to safety. Rogers depicts Nydia at the moment that she and Glaucus have become separated in their perilous journey through the rubble and Nydia seeks familiarity in the surrounding chaos, her distress evident in her pained expression. The grace of the sculpture is at odds with the turmoil portrayed; a toppled Corinthian capital lies at her feet and obstructs her next step, indicated by the tilt of her back foot and grip on her walking stick. Examples of this model can be found in major American collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Literature, Millard F Rogers, Jr. Randolph Rogers, American Sculptor in Rome. University of Massachusetts Press, 1971, American Figurative Sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1986. Joyce K Schiller. "Nydia, A Forgotten Icon of the Nineteenth Century." Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Born in Waterloo, New York, Randolph John Rogers became an expatriate* sculptor of idealized figures, portraits, and commemorative works in Neo-Classical* and Realist* styles. He worked in clay, plaster, marble and bronze, and lived both in Italy and the United States. He made 167 examples of Nydia in two sizes (varies depending on base height) 36" and 54'. Rogers was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and as a young man did woodcuts* for the local newspaper, The Michigan Argus, and also worked as a baker's assistant and a dry goods clerk. In 1847, he moved to New York City, where he hoped to find work as an engraver*, but failing to do so, worked in a dry goods store owned by John Steward...

Marble-based bronze statuette depicting Cupid, holding an arrow in his hand, walking caressing a lion's mane, lowered in the act of affectionately licking his little foot. The subjec...

This monumental pair of sculptures in "Bardiglio" marble represent Greek Athlete of Discobolo and the Hercules figure with a lion pelt, on a cylindrical base...

Finely carved mythological subject in limestone with Cornucopia associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance. Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measur...

This reproduction of a classical Hellenistic sculpture of Hercules . A timeless piece for interior and a garden decoration. We can raise with a base on request .

Finely carved mythological subject in Lecce limestone of Aria a Roman Goddness . Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measurements: Statue cm 160, base cm 85.