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18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

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Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Veracruz Mexico Pre-Columbian ceramic Warrior figure sculpture
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Figure of a Chanting Warrior Ceramic with bitumen highlights 300-600 CE (Classic Period) Mexico, Veracruz, possibly Nopiloa Veracruz Culture Pre-Columbian, Mexico, Vera Cruz culture...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Pre-Columbian Colima Shaman terracotta figure vessel Mexican sculpture
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Seated Shaman Colima culture Mexico ca. 300 BCE - 300 CE Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A hollow-cast and highly-burnished terraco...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Yunomi (MADE TO ORDER) (Sabbath, Kiddush, Ceremonial Vessel)
Located in Kansas City, MO
(MADE TO ORDER) (Sabbath, Kiddush, Ceremonial Vessel) *Lead Time may vary between 1-3 weeks Melanie Sherman "Yunomi" Year: 2021 Porcelain, Glaze, ChinaPaint, 24k German Gold Luster,...
Category

Contemporary 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Luster, Porcelain, Glaze

Antique Italian sculptor - 18/19th century terracotta sculpture - Memento Mori
Located in Varmo, IT
Terracotta sculpture - Memento mori. Italy, 18th-19th century. 16 x 25 x h 18 cm. Entirely in terracotta. - This item is sold with a certificate of authenticity with legal validi...
Category

Old Masters 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Gothic medieval Christian sculpture: smiling young bishop early carving France
Located in Norwich, GB
This 15th century bishop - sculpted ca AD1460 - has a smile on his lips and a benevolent presence. He is also something of an Adonis - one tends to forget that in the medieval churc...
Category

Gothic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

A Monumental 16th Century Renaissance Carved Oak Bust of Jesus Christ
Located in Queens, NY
Magnificent and Monumental 16th Century Renaissance Carved Oak Bust of Christ, Flemish Netherlandish, C. 1550 A powerful and deeply expressive Renaissance carved oak bust of Jesus C...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Oak

Tu Me Connais - Yunomi (MADE TO ORDER) (Sabbath, Kiddush, Ceremonial Vessel)
Located in Kansas City, MO
(MADE TO ORDER) (Sabbath, Kiddush, Ceremonial Vessel) *Lead Time may vary between 1-3 weeks Melanie Sherman "Tu Me Connais" - Yunomi Year: 2021 Porcelain, Glaze, ChinaPaint, 24k German Gold Luster...
Category

Abstract Geometric 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Luster, Porcelain, Glaze

18th/19th C. Italian Alabaster Sculpture of Infant Hercules Wrestling a Snake
Located in Beachwood, OH
18th/19th Century Italian Infant Hercules Wrestling a Snake Alabaster 18 x 18 x 6 inches 40 lb. In Greek mythology, the infant Hercules (Heracles) is famously depicted wrestling wit...
Category

Italian School 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Large 17th century, Sandstone Buddha Head from Thailand, Ayutthaya Kingdom
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Large Sandstone Head of Shakyamuni Buddha Thailand (formerly Siam), Ayutthaya Kingdom 17th century 16 1/2 inches on stand, 11 1/3 without Private collection, France. The face is ...
Category

Other Art Style 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone

Costa Rican pre-Columbian sculptural figure ca. 1000-1500
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Magnificent standing figure, Costa Rica, ca. 1000-1500. Carved volcanic stone. Measures 16.5 x 9 x 5.5 inches. Outstanding condition with no damage. The figure represents a captured...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Stone

Medieval enthroned Virgin and Child Sedes Sapientiae acephalic granit sculpture
Located in Norwich, GB
They may be damaged and battered, but real historic objects will always give you a sense of awe. Can you sense it, looking at this ancient carved granite which depicts, as it is call...
Category

Medieval 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Granite

Baroque Italian master - 17/18th century figure sculpture - The Virgin
Located in Varmo, IT
Carved and painted wooden sculpture - Madonna praying - Italy, 17th-18th century. 35 x 20 x h 65 cm. Entirely in carved, lacquered and painted wood. Some missing parts and color lo...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

After Giambologna Bronze of Mercury with green patina
Located in New York, NY
Mercury, circa 1700s. Bronze with green patina. Height with base: 58 cm (22 7/8 in.)
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A large Italian Carved Africano And Giallo Antico Marble Tazza Roman Ambit 18th
Located in Roma, IT
African marble stand resting on a pedestal in antique yellow marble. The elliptical basin model decorated with radial grooves from the center outwards and with pods on the upper edge...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Agnus dei - Puerta de sagrario - Siglo XVII
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Muy interesante puerta de sagrario de madera tallada y policromada del siglo xvii. Es de comienzos del barroco, hay la representación del agnus dei con...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood Panel

18th Century French Terra Cotta Bust of a Young Gentleman
Located in Beachwood, OH
18th Century French Terra Cotta Bust of a Young Gentleman Terra Cotta Unsigned 25 x 18 x 10 inches 41 lb.
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

SACRISTY DOOR
Located in Milano, IT
Antique Sacristy Door with Skull and Crossbones - Italy, 17th Century Exceptional wooden vestry door, dating from the 17th century, from Italy. This unique piece was originally used...
Category

Italian School 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood Panel

Men on a Horse Medieval Tile Gypsum Cast
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Gypsum cast-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install.
Category

Gothic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Gesso

Baroque Roman sculptor - 17th century alabaster sculpture - Hercules and Cretan
Located in Varmo, IT
Carved alabaster sculpture - Hercules and the Cretan Bull. Rome, 17th century. 20 x 12 x h 33 cm. Entirely in carved alabaster, small marks and defects. Separate alabaster base. ...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

Vintage Peacock III (Wall Piece/Dish (hand-painted, made to order by the artist)
Located in Kansas City, MO
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: 2023 (and following years) Size: 5.5x4x0.25in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1333 *Made to Order Every piece is unique, design might differ slightly Customization possible **Lead time approx. 2 weeks for qty 1-3 ------------------------ 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, William Morris wallpaper and other historical sources. Porcelain, Ceramics, Pottery, Ornament Vintage Moth Wall Piece Ornament Small Dish Candy Sugar Tea handpainted handmade butterfly peacock 24k German gold luster ceramics porcelain charm, jewelry, personalized, family, tree, retro, heart, mother, moon, baby, feet, gemstone, flower, mom, birth, year, art, chinapaint, luster, lustre, contemporary ceramics, futility of pleasure, herend, meissen, sevre, pattern, arita, arita ware, imari, imari ware, dresden, germany, japan, jingdezhen, china, photography, momento mori, flowers, flower motif, drawing, illustration, peacock, cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, kiku, 菊, kikka, 菊花, Ōka, 黄花, Kiku no hana...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Late 15th-century Old Master Burgundian Netherlands carved walnut figure
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful late 15th-century Burgundian Netherlandish portrait of a woman. Carved walnut. Original polychrome has been removed with traces at base and lower portions of figure. Minor ...
Category

Old Masters 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Walnut

Nativity
Located in Milano, IT
Diorama in Wood and Polychrome Stucco Attributed to Thomas Gaudiello (Naples, active 1685-1727) This fascinating diorama depicting the Nativity is distinguished by its complex three...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Chalk

Magnificent Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological Subject Minerva 1780'
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological roman subject of Minerva in Marble Travertino . Excellent condition from an estate of Veneto. Measurements: Statue cm 180 . Minerva (Pallas Athena in Greek...
Category

Academic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

CRESCENT MOON MADONNA
Located in Wien, Wien
Master in the circle of Michael Pacher (Mühlen ca. 1435 - 1498 Salzburg) Salzburg Around 1480 Carved limewood Old polychrome version Height 118 cm This Madonna is an outstanding ex...
Category

Gothic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Baroque Venetian sculptor - Pair of 17th century lions wood sculptures
Located in Varmo, IT
Pair of bookend sculptures. Venice, 17th century. 15 x 15 x h 29 cm. Entirely in finely carved wood. - This item is sold with a certificate of authenticity with legal validity. -...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Corpus Christi
Located in Wien, Wien
MUSEUM CORPUS CHRISTI Spain/Catalonia or Asturias Around 1250 Corpus hardwood, arms softwood Remains of the original polychrome setting Height 109.5...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Michael Ayrton 'Girl Wringing out her Hair' patinated bronze nude sculpture
Located in London, GB
Michael Ayrton (1921-1975) Girl Wringing out her Hair Patinated bronze, 1962 26cm in height Michael Ayrton was a British artist and writer, renowned as...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

A Lute Player Medieval Tile Gypsum Cast
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Gypsum cast-medieval tile, inspired from Central Europe. Could be also adjusted in a frame, ready to hang or install ( price will be different).
Category

Gothic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Gesso

Pair of 18th century Renaissance style bronze sculptures - Lions
Located in Varmo, IT
Pair of small bronze sculptures - Grotesque lions. Italy, 18th-19th century. 10 x 5 x h 17 cm. Made entirely of patinated bronze in Renaissance style. Depicting two seated grotesqu...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze bust of Seneca or Pseudo-Seneca Italy Naples late 18th-early 19th cent
Located in Pistoia, IT
Bronze bust with brown patina depicting the pseudo-Seneca, Italy, early 19th century. The Pseudo-Seneca is a Roman bronze bust from the late 1st century B.C.. discovered in 1754 in ...
Category

Italian School 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Romanesque Madonna - 1175/80
Located in Wien, Wien
ROMAN MADONNA “Sedes Sapientiae” Auvergne Around 1175/80 Pine wood Polychrome remains Height 40 cm This depiction of the Madonna is a masterfully carved, extremely early figure made...
Category

Gothic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Baroque Roman sculptor - 17th century bronze sculpture - Mars Warrior
Located in Varmo, IT
Gilded bronze sculpture - Mars, god of War. Rome, 17th century. 9 x 9 x h 31 cm. Entirely in cast, chiseled and gilded bronze, resting on an ebonized wooden pedestal decorated with...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Antique Bust of Roman Emperor Vitellius
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Substantial, hand carved, solid marble bust of Roman Emperor Vitellius (24-69 C.E.) on a custom, iron base. Likely a 16th century copy of a 2nd century o...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Apotropäische Teufelsfigur
Located in Wien, Wien
APOTROPAIC DEVIL FIGURE Romansh South Tyrol or Grisons Around 1120/50 Carved pine wood Original version Height 151 cm This singular figure is a demonic, devil-like figure carved fro...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Renaissance Era Marble Figure Fragment
Located in Los Angeles, CA
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...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Flemish Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra Bronze
Located in New Orleans, LA
This remarkable early 17th-century Flemish bronze of Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra exudes classic Baroque grandeur and beauty. Flanders was one of the richest artistic and cultural...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE PORTRAIT HEAD OF BEARDED MAN
Located in Milan, IT
PORTRAIT HEAD OF BEARDED MAN Central Italy, 16th/17th Century marble with traces of polychromy height 39 cm height 15 1/4 in
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Limestone figure of Virgin and child, Lorraine, 14th century, French Gothic
Located in PARIS, FR
Virgin and Child with Goldfinch Workshops of Metz, Lorraine, circa 1330 Limestone carved in the round with remains of polychromy Height: 61 cm The sculpture of the Virgin and Child ...
Category

Gothic 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Limestone

Madonna and Child, Polychrome Stucco Relief, workshop of Luca della Robbia.
Located in Pistoia, IT
Madonna and Child, polychrome stucco relief, workshop of Luca della Robbia. Second half of the 15th century. Modeled as half-length, the Child holds his mother's veil in one hand, th...
Category

Medieval 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Other Medium

ANTIQUE FRENCH GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF MARS
Located in Milan, IT
BRONZE FIGURE OF MARS, 18th Century gilt bronze on marble base 35.6 x 8.9 x 7.6 cm 14 x 3 1/2 x 3 in
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Vintage Moth II (Hand-Painted, Gold Luster, Vintage Imagery)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Melanie Sherman Vintage Moth II (Hand-Painted, Gold Luster, Vintage Imagery) Porcelain, Glaze, Overglaze, Chinapaints, 24k German Gold Luster Year: 2025 Size: 4.5 x 6 x 0.5 inches Si...
Category

Victorian 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Luster, Porcelain, Paint, Glaze

ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FRAGMENT
Located in Milan, IT
ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FRAGMENT Rome, 1st Century b.C. marble 23 x 15 x 5 cm without base 9 x 6 x 2 in
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Master Angel
Located in Wien, Wien
MASTER ANGEL Museum sculpture of the master of Mauer Austrian Danube Region Around 1500/20 Lime wood, carved full round Height 55 cm Provenance: Hofstätter Collection, Vienna The masterful sculpture was made in the workshop of the master of the altar of Mauer around 1500 in Lower Austria. It can be located in the context of the Danube school of the first third of the 16th century, was carved from limewood and is 55 cm tall. Since there are no attributes or context, it is an unknown figure of a carved altar. The master of the altar of Mauer is an anonymous Gothic carver who was active between 1500 and 1525 and received this so-called emergency name through the altar for the parish and pilgrimage church of Mauer near Melk. This winged altar was probably commissioned by Göttweig Abbey in the 1470s and is made of lime wood. It shows an expression in the transition from late Gothic to early Renaissance and is considered the most important carved altar in Lower Austria, created between 1510-15. The figure presented here is very related in its design to the figures of the altar of Mauer. In lively-moving form, the male figure turns his upper body to the right, with his head pointing upward, probably toward the sky. The right leg in lunge emerges from under the frock...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Vintage Moth I (Made-to-order, Hand-Painted, Gold Luster, Vintage Imagery)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Melanie Sherman Vintage Moth I (Hand-Painted, Gold Luster, Vintage Imagery) Porcelain, Glaze, Overglaze, Chinapaints, 24k German Gold Luster Year: 2025 Size: 4.5 x 6 x 0.5 inches Sig...
Category

Victorian 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Luster, Porcelain, Paint, Glaze

Laocoön and his Sons, an exceptional bronze sculpture by Giacomo Zoffoli
Located in PARIS, FR
This exceptional bronze group (unpublished), executed in Rome in the second half of the 18th century, bears witness to the fascination with the Laocoön since its discovery on January...
Category

Italian School 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

ANCIENT ROMAN BRONZE SCULPTURE FIGURE OF A ROMPING DOG
Located in Milan, IT
"Roman Bronze Figure Of A Romping Dog" Roman Empire, circa 1st Century B.C.- 1st Century A.D. Bronze width 7 cm width 2 3/4 in Provenance: Leo Mildenberg (1913-2001) Private Collection, Zurich, prior to 1986 American Private Collection, acquired in 1991 Literature: A.P. Kozloff, et al., More Animals in Ancient Art...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

ANTIQUE ITALIAN 18TH CENTURY BOXWOOD SCULPTURE OF CHRIST
Located in Milan, IT
Boxwood figure of Christ
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Late 15th Century By Florentine School Madonna with Child Bas-relief
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Late 15th Century Florentine School Madonna with Child Bas-relief Pietra serena (a blue-gray sandstone) 85.5 x 60.5 cm Provenance: - via Stefano Bardini purchased in 1896 by Prince ...
Category

Old Masters 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone

GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF CRISTO MORTO ATTR. G DELLA PORTA, ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Located in Milan, IT
Circle of Guglielmo Della Porta (Porlezza, 1515 circa – Rome 1577) CRISTO MORTO, Italy, mid 16th Century Gilt bronze 54 x 48 cm 21 1/4 x 19 in Provenance: M. Barbagli Private Collec...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Italian master - 18th century figure sculpture - Virgin Pity - Carved Wood Paint
Located in Varmo, IT
Carved and painted wooden sculpture - Pietà - Italy, 18th century. 13 x 7 x h 22.5 cm. Entirely made of carved and polychrome painted wood. Condition report: Good state of conserv...
Category

Old Masters 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

FIGURE OF A CHILD - Sculpture ligneous
Located in Milano, IT
Elegant 15th-century wooden sculpture of a finely executed infant missing his arms. The work, of central Italian provenance, recalls the Donatello manner in the delicacy of the featu...
Category

Italian School 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Bronze of Pluto Abducting Proserpine after François Girardon
Located in New Orleans, LA
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...
Category

Baroque 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Terracotta Bust of a Young Gentleman, Late 18th Century French Sculpture
Located in Beachwood, OH
After Philippe-Laurent Roland (French, 1746-1816) Bust of a Young Man, 1772 Terra cotta set on painted wood pedestal Signed and dated at back 16.5 x 11 x 8 inches Philippe-Laurent R...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Nessus and Deianira Bronze
Located in New Orleans, LA
A technical and creative masterpiece of the late Renaissance era, this extraordinary bronze figure depicts the famed Greek legend of The Abduction of Deianira. Bringing together the ...
Category

Renaissance 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Group of four 18th century Venetian wooden sculptures - Singer and musicians
Located in Varmo, IT
Four table sculptures - Concertino with musicians and singer. Venice, late 18th century. 9 x 7 x h 20 cm each. Entirely in wood, finely carved and painted in polychrome. Condition...
Category

Rococo 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

Burma, Thai Bronze Head of Buddha (original)
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Thai Bronze Head of Buddha (Original) 17th c.
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Eighteenth-century Grand Tour marble bust of Faustina the Younger
Located in London, GB
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...
Category

Old Masters 18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Marble

unknown
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A classic terra cotta sculpture of Mercury signed Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714-1785).
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Terracotta

Decoration - Carved wooden tribal mask
Located in PARIS, FR
Carved wooden tribal mask 7 x 20 x 10 cm height with base: 38 cm
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Wood

ANCIENT ROMAN ALABASTER BUST OF THE GOD SERAPIS, ROME CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Located in Milan, IT
Wearing a chiton with a himation draped at the left shoulder, and a modius on the crown of his head, the god's characteristic luxuriant wavy hair falling in ri...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

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