16th Century Sculptures

PORTRAIT HEAD OF A GIRL Rome, circa 2nd/3rd century A.D. Marble height 18.4 cm height 7 1/4 in Provenance: Sotheby's, London, May 23rd, 1988, no. 240,...

Description: A Flemish Statue of Crowned Virgin Mary with Child Jesus, 17th Century, polychromed wood, silver crowns Statue: Crowned Madonna and Child Object Type: Statuette Artist, Sculptor / Creator: Unknown Place of Origin: Flanders Period: 17th Century Style: Renaissance Materials and Techniques: Polychromed wood, Silver Categories: Christianity Dimensions: H. 55 cm D. 15 cm W. 19 cm History: The Madonna and Child is one of the most easily recognisable, most frequently produced themes in the history of Art and has been depicted by many famous artists, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. The word Madonna is derived from the Italian 'ma donna,' or 'my lady' and is used to describe Mary, the mother of Christ. The Madonna and Child depict a loving mother and son, which is a symbol of hope, faith, and love and represents the love and bond between mother and child, and is a symbol of hope and protection. Purity or virginity is represented by the color of clothing of Madonna. The color blue symbolises purity, virginity, and royalty. Physical Description: A magnificent 17th Century statue in polychromed wood of standing Madonna and Child. Virgin Mary is holding a small staff that is often shown in the hands of a king or queen. In Her left arm She is holding Her Son, Jesus Christ who is holding the World in His left hand to show that He is our Heavenly king on Earth and His Mother is our Queen. She wears a tight fitting golden dress with blue sleeves; over this is a blue mantle; Her mantle is lined red and is with an ochre gold border. The flesh is painted in natural colours and Her long hair lies over both shoulders. The Child Jesus wears a blue long sleeves dress...

Inspired by amateur archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann who discovered Troy and by past elaborate hoaxes like that of the Piltdown Man, Joshua travels the world performing sta...

Head of apostle or Christ in carved limestone. Elongated face with a large forehead and long hair with thick wavy locks on the sides. The almond-shaped eyes are underlined by the hem...

These 19th Century hand-carved hall chairs from Mexico are reminiscent of a Renaissance style in the design of the faces of the angels and ornamentation. This native wood is walnut colored with a stain that gives the chairs a caramel glow. The cushions are upholstered in a, light yellow silk brocade fabric. There are pin-sized holes from an earlier exposure to termites, a desirable element in antique Mexican furniture...

Melanie Sherman Vintage Peacock III (Wall Piece/Dish (handpainted) Porcelain, Glaze, Overglaze, Chinapaints, 24k German Gold Luster, Brass Wire (for hanging, can be removed) Year: 20...

A Giallo Antico (Giallo Numidia ) marble grand tour model of a bath with ferine feet standing on a squared Violet Marble two order base. The work from the workshop of Benedetto Bosch...

Gypsum cast - medieval tile, from Central Europe. Adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install.

(MADE TO ORDER) (Hand-painted, hand-made, porcelain) *Lead Time may vary between 1-3 weeks Melanie Sherman Vintage Peacock I (Wall Piece/Dish (handpainted) Porcelain, Glaze, Overglaze, Chinapaints, 24k German Gold Luster, Brass Wire (for hanging, can be removed) Year: 2022 Size: 4.5x6x0.5in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1330 ------------------------ My ceramics are handmade and painted with the finest overglazes from Europe. The gold luster used is 24k liquid Gold from Germany. Every piece is unique. My imagery is inspired by vintage Meissen dinnerware...

Gypsum cast-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Could be also adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install ( price will be different).

Signed and dated: ‘F. Harwood Fecit 1764’ Collections: Probably commissioned by Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon (1743-1827); Probably by descent at Gordon Castle, Banffshire to c.1948; Possibly acquired by Bert Crowther of Syon Lodge, Middlesex; Jacques Hollander (1940-2004); Christie’s, 5 December 2013, lot 101; Private collection; Sotheby’s, 2 July 2019, lot 106 Literature: John Preston Neale, Views of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen, in England, Wales and Scotland, London, 1822, vol.I, unpaginated. This marble copy of an ancient bust in the Musei Capitolini usually identified as Faustina the Younger, the daughter of Antoninus Pius and future wife of Marcus Aurelius, was made in Florence by Francis Harwood in 1764. Harwood was one of the most prolific suppliers of decorative marbles for the Grand Tour market and this finely worked example demonstrates the quality of luxury goods available to travellers to Italy. So often anonymous, this unusually signed and dated example, raises questions about the status of marble copies in the period and of sculptors such as Harwood who are known principally for ornamental work. Harwood’s origins remain obscure. He is documented living in Palazzo Zuccari with Joshua Reynolds and the Irish sculptor Simon Vierpyl at Easter 1752, he had certainly settled permanently in Florence by the following year, when he is recorded working with Joseph Wilton. He was admitted to the Florentine Academy on 12 January 1755 (as pittore Inglese, although he was described as scultore in the matriculation account). After Wilson returned to England in 1755 Harwood appears to have worked in a studio near SS. Annunziata with Giovanni Battista Piamontini who had made life-size copies of The Wrestlers and The Listening Slave for Joseph Leeson in 1754. In 1758 both sculptors were contracted to make a statue and a trophy to complete the decoration of the Porta San Gallo, Harwood completing a statue of Equality, installed the following year. By 1760 Harwood was on the brink of his most productive period as a sculptor, producing copies of celebrated antiquities for the ever-increasing audience of Grand Tour travellers and for the domestic market in London. In 1761 Harwood met the young architect James Adam who was in Italy specifically to make contact with suppliers for Robert Adam’s burgeoning practice back in Britain. The Adams offered a remarkably cohesive design package to their clients, encompassing not just architecture, but fixtures, fittings and furniture as well. Harwood was able to supply the brothers with marbles for their new interiors. At Syon, for example, Harwood produced a full-size copy of Michelangelo’s Bacchus for the new dining room the Adams had designed for Hugh Smythson, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Harwood seems to have also specialised in producing sets of library busts. In 1758 Charles Compton, 7th Earl of Northampton, a distinguished traveller commissioned a set of busts which remain in situ at Castle Ashby in Northamptonshire. It is perhaps no coincidence that the Adam brothers were producing designs for new interiors at Castle Ashby at this date. The set included representations of: Cicero, Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Faustina the Younger, Sappho, Seneca and Homer. Each of these busts Harwood seems to have replicated for multiple patrons, another Adam patron, Thomas Dundas...

Gypsum cat-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Sold without the frame.