Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques
Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this extremely collectable pair of original Antique Circa 1880 Italian Grand Tour Alabaster Recumbent Lions after the original huge statues by Antonio Canova
These are original examples not later copies, they have a stunning antique patina and look expensive and important in any setting
Grand tour pieces were purchased by young men and women in high society when they finished their studies, they would go on a "Grand Tour" around Europe visiting the sites and collecting trinkets, these trinkets could be very small such as ingots, or if you were fabulously wealthy they would be much larger and heavier like these lions
About Tomb of Pope Clement XIII
The artwork, titled “Tomb of Pope Clement XIII,” is a sculpture created by Antonio Canova in 1792. Belonging to the Neoclassicism art movement, this masterpiece exemplifies the genre of sculpture.
In the artwork, Canova masterfully arranges various sculptural elements to create a poignant and regal composition. The tomb consists of a carved effigy of Pope Clement XIII, situated in a reverent pose atop an elaborately adorned sarcophagus. The Pope’s figure is cloaked in flowing garments, kneeling in prayer, signifying his piety. Below, two imposing lions flank the monument, symbolizing strength and vigilance. An angelic figure, wings partially spread, gazes downwards with a sorrowful expression, embodying the eternal mourning for the departed. Adjacent to the angel, a robed woman stands, her somber posture accentuating the tomb’s solemn atmosphere. The architectural framework, with its towering columns and vaulted arch, adds to the grandeur and reverence of the entire composition, upholding the Neoclassical ideals of symmetry, order, and monumental form.
Later in life the Canova Lions were replicated, they are located in front of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C, these were cast in bronze from molds of the originals. The pieces were installed in 1860
This pair as mentioned are sublime, they really set the scene for a room, I've had a pair on the top of my piano for years with a large Tiffany lamp...
Category
1880s Italian Grand Tour Antique Antonio Giovanni Lanzirotti Furniture