Decorative Objects

SALE ONE WEEK ONLY “Leda and the Swan” is by Reuben Nakian (1897 - 1986). He was an American sculptor and teacher of Armenian extraction. His works’ recurring themes are from Greek and Roman mythology. Nakian’s small bronzes achieve majesty and power which are not dependent on size and amplitude. With characteristic freshness, he has reinterpreted the classical subject of Leda and the Swan refining it in the Classical-Renaissance-Baroque tradition in a contemporary way. Dr. Robert P. Metzger gives us his aesthetic interpretation of this work which retells the myth in classical hedonism and freedom of expression showing Leda and the Swann prior to her being ravaged and during their first meeting. “The young virgin is fascinated with her new found friend and accepts him in a spirit of playfulness, contentment and wonder. She is dreamily available and shyly seductive as the deceptively tame swan snuggles up to her with its phallic-like neck.” Leda appears composed, placid yet open and available as compared to her more intense and passionate states in other of Nakian’s depictions on the same theme. This was cast at the "Renaissance Art Foundry" in 1978 and is so marked on the base being #5 of 7. It is believed that “no other sculptor of the twentieth century matched Rueben’s heroic renditions with the grand themes of Western Art. His erotic mythological figures exude a joyous energy of gesture and movement which place them among seminal sculptural achievements of the past one hundred years.” Nakian studied at the Independent School of Art in New York City previously known as the Robert Henri School … with Homer Boss...

A beautifully refined bronze statue depicting an art scholar teaching two young cherubs. It has been finished with a patina for developing glossy sheen with age. Mounted on an oval b...

Grand Tour Carved Marble Statue of the Empress Livia Drusilla After the Antique. A true depiction of the Classical Statue of Rome's First Empress. Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was Roman empress...

French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet (1716-1791) is the inspiration for this beautiful, sumptuous mantel clock. His clock, crafted in the late 18th Century and now on display at the Louvre Museum, caused such a stir when it was exhibited over 100 years later, at the Great Exhibition in Paris in 1900 that one reviewer claimed that it "attracted so much admiration from the crowds gathered around that the pressure was sufficient at times to endanger its safety." As well as this famed 'Three Graces...

Our monumental pair of 18th century candelabra of French origin depict Roman neoclassical male and female holding cornucopia, finely carved from white marble, with four light ormolu bronze candleholders of foliate design with fruits, nuts and grape bunches. Provenance: Arne Schlesch & José Juárez...

The clock is signed by the Clockmaker Festeau Le Jeune. The case after a design of François Vion in form of a lion supporting a cylindrical case draped with ribbon tied laurel swags ...

French Art Deco Leda & the Swan ceramic sculpture by Charles LEMANCEAU at Sainte-Radegonde, France, 1920s. Leda & the swan. Illustrated in the Sainte-Radegonde catalogue, pag...

A mid-late 19th century antique Italian alabaster sculpture depicting Leda and the Swan mounted on a green marble base. This figure of neoclassical interest is brilliantly detailed, ...

This Crowned Madonna and Child is a faithful re-edition of 19th-century religious statuary once popular from Rome to Lourdes and Paris. During this period, the renowned Maison Raffl ...

19th century French bronze head of a boy mounted on an iron base. It is a great accent for a side table or bookshelf.

This is an interesting multiple artwork signed by the author Roberto Nanut, a talented artist of years 80' in Italy. This is a multiple of a numbered ed...

Nineteenth century bronze "Mercury" by the Benedetto Boschetti workshops. The model of Mercury is after the Italian Renaissance sculptor Giambologna. Mercury stands on one foot supported by a zephyr and holds a caduceus. Mounted on a circular marble base with a plaque "Mercury by Boschetti". Statue is marked B Boschetti Roma...