Pasquale Romanelli Art

Attr. Bertel Thorvalsden (1770-1844) WINGED CUPID, Italy, 19th Century Provenance: Private Collection, Vienna

This amusing naturalistic sculpture in silver-plated pewter was probably made in the 17th century by Georg Schweigger. Inspired by a model created by another Nuremberg sculptor, Peter Flötner, it bears witness to the persistence during the baroque era of the naturalistic taste that emerged in the Renaissance. Intended as an ornament for some Kunstkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, this sculpture was a great success, as can be seen from the presence of similar works in many European museums. 1. Georg Schweigger Georg Schweigger was a baroque sculptor and medal founder from Nuremberg, known mainly for his small-scale works in stone, carved wood and cast metal. His only large-scale work, the Neptune Fountain, has been in the Petershof Palace, the summer residence of the Tsars near St. Petersburg, since 1797. This monumental sculpture demonstrates his taste for the representation of movement, which we find in this small piece, inspired, as we shall see, by earlier models. 2. The success of a naturalistic theme As is often the case in the history of art, the source of the Dog scratching his ear theme probably comes from an engraving, and more precisely from one made in Strasbourg in 1480 or in Aschaffenburg in 1481 by the Master of the Housebook, an anonymous engraver working in southern Germany at the end of the 15th century. This engraving seems to have been Peter Flötner’s (1490 - 1546) source of inspiration. Peter Flötner was a sculptor and engraver who settled in Nuremberg in 1522. The Louvre Museum also has a gilded lead statuette dated between 1500 and 1515 (on deposit at the Musée de L'Œuvre in Strasbourg), which in turn is thought to have served as a model for other known statuettes. This model was later taken up by the Frenchman Barthélemy Prieur...

Antique bronze sculpture of male nude reading a letter or proclamation. Marble base, 19th century. Unsigned.

Luigi Preatoni (Novara 1845 - ?), Maiden with hat Marble bust 66 x 43 x 36 cm signed (L Preatoni) on edge of dress.

Very fine large Neoclassical white marble bust of Arianna wearing a diadem with grape vine in her hair after the antique in Vatican Museum . Ariadne, in Greek mythology (Latin Aria...

Roman marble altar fragment with cupid Provenance: Nicolas Koutoulakis (1910-1996), Paris and Geneva

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...

These four plaques represent either domestic (a horse, two rams) or exotic animals (a rhinoceros and an elephant). Made on slate slabs cut to shape (a rectangle with concave angles), they are all based on the same narrative scheme: in a frame of Egyptian porphyry, an animal in multicoloured marble is represented advancing on a green marble floor, standing out against a black slate background. These plates were made in Italy, probably in Florence or in Rome, during the 18th century. We think that their primary purpose was to decorate the drawers of a cabinet. Like many other compositions in hard stone, these plaques were inspired by engravings that were a widespread decorative repertoire in the workshops. Three of the plaques presented here were directly inspired by works by Antonio Tempesta (1555 - 1630): the Rhinoceros, the Polish Horse...

Italian 19th Century marble bust depicting the young Emperor Octavian. The sculpture, carved in white Carrara marble, is an exquisite example of neoclassical works and shows a fascin...

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...

Standing figure of Julius Caesar wearing a Tunic and holding a billowing drapery with a composition marble square-section pedestal. . The other figure is of Hannibal. Provenance fro...

This muscular male torso probably comes from a larger relief, which would have decorated the front part of a sarcophagus. It likely represents the figure of a satyr, standing, with t...