Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
to
58
605
114
13
40
395
170
127
57
25
48
9
3
8
4
3
5
6
24
9
9
93
86
53
39
26
14
12
8
7
5
4
3
3
1
1
1
1
3,108
53,330
42,954
25,429
20,487
381
300
651
365
232
26
24
Height
to
Width
to
732
652
688
20
14
6
5
4
Material: Carrara Marble
Italian School Sculpture "Hermaphrodite" 19th Century Carrara White Marble Group
Located in Madrid, ES
Italian School Sculpture "Hermaphrodite" 19th Century
Carrara White Marble Group
presented on a marble base
Total height: 18 cm Width: 46.5 cm Depth: 25.5 cm
good condition
some defe...
Category
19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Pair Carrara Marble and Gilt Bronze Candlesticks, Louis XVI from the 1780s
Located in Knivsta, SE
A pair sophisticated carrara marble and gilt bronze Candlesticks. Made in France during the 1780s. Louis XVI.
Beautiful contrast between the white Carrara marble and the gilded de...
Category
1780s French Louis XVI Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Gold Plate, Bronze
Large 17/18th Century Italian Carved Carrara Marble Baroque Angel Fragment
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful weathered marble baroque angel.
Italy 17/18th century. Weathered, losses and old repairs.
More pictures are available on request.
Category
17th Century Italian Baroque Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$6,838 Sale Price
27% Off
ANTIQUE ORIGINAL ITALIAN CARRARA MARBLE SINK began 20th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
ANTIQUE ORIGINAL MARBLE SINK began 20th Century
Original antique white marble sink.
WIDTH 39 cm
LENGTH 70 cm
INTERNAL DEPTH OF THE BASIN 8 cm
THICKNESS 11 cm
OVAL HOLE DIMENSIONS 40...
Category
20th Century Italian Modern Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
19th Century French Gilt Bronze Wounded Sparrow Bird, after Comolera
Located in Pearland, TX
A 19th century antique wounded sparrow bird paperweight/hunting trophy in chased gilt bronze, after Comolera (1818-1897). Mounted on pink marble. Sourced from a French collector.
Category
19th Century French Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Male torso "Torso Gaddi" carved on white Carrara marble - made in Italy
Located in Tarquinia, IT
Sculpture, Male torso, classical art, Greek art, Torso, white Carrara marble, classical sculpture, ancient torso, Gaddi torso
Sculpted male torso on white marble from carrara, origi...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Classical Roman Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Carrara Marble
Louis XVI Style Putto Ormolu Patinated Bronze and Marble Candlestick
Located in Vero Beach, FL
This French candleholder, in the style of Clodion, is mounted on white statuary Carrara marble. The patinated putto holds a candle support of flowering acanthus leaves. Circular and rectangular marble shapes...
Category
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
$712 Sale Price
25% Off
Gaddi Torso Marble Sculpture
Located in Milan, IT
A sculpture in precious white Carrara marble reproducing the Torso Gaddi, the famous fragmentary sculpture displayed in the Uffizi Museums in Florence, which inspired many great arti...
Category
2010s Italian Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$68,563 / item
Large Antique Marble Bust of Apollo of Belvedere, 19th Century
Located in Rochester, NY
Antique bust of Apollo of Belvedere. Finely carved carrara marble. Mid-19th century. Italian.
Presented by Joseph Dasta Antiques
# nude male greek roman mercury statue...
Category
19th Century Italian Classical Roman Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Stone, Marble, Carrara Marble
Beautiful Italian " Torso " 20th Century Carrara Marble
Located in Madrid, ES
Beautiful Italian " Torso " 20th century Carrara marble.
Measure: H: 43m including base
very good condition
Category
20th Century Italian Baroque Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture Signed Comana
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture Signed Comana.
This beautifully executed Italian Carrara marble sculpture is mounted on a green marble plinth.
Gorgeous!
Category
1920s Italian Neoclassical Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Otterburn Chess Table — Solid Hand-Patinated Brass and Walnut — Made in Britain
By Novocastrian
Located in Washington, GB
Commissioned by a special client as the perfect stage for their chess battles, this table is a showcase of NOVOCASTRIAN’s creative ability, of almost 10 years of experimentation, ref...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Stone, Limestone, Marble, Carrara Marble, Slate, Brass, Bronze, Copper, ...
Vintage Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture of David
By Michelangelo
Located in Houston, TX
Stunning vintage Italian carved carrara marble sculpture or statue of David.
Offered is a good sized well executed marble figure of David as a youth, copied from the original by Mic...
Category
1940s Italian Grand Tour Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Barbara Hepworth Style Marble Sculpture Single Bookend Eye Iris Biomorphic Form
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Small Marble Table Sculpture. Very nice form, no signature or markings.
W 6.5 x D 3 x H 5 in
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Modern Monique Pedestal Sculpture Calacatta Marble Handmade Portugal Greenapple
By GF Modern, Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Monique Pedestal Stand, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple.
Monique is the perfect standing piece of art to enhance any interior. Monique is a unique design in Calacatta...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble
" Venus of the Nile " 19th Century Italian Carrara Marble Sculpture
Located in Madrid, ES
" Venus of the Nile "
19th century Italian Carrara marble sculpture
Italy
Height: 90 cm
good conditions.
Category
19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Grand Tour French Bronze Tazza With Rose Marble Base
Located in New York, NY
Amazing 19th century French bronze tazza with rose marble base, in vintage original condition with some wear and patina due to age and use, there is some wear to the marble and minor...
Category
1890s French Mid-Century Modern Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
19th Century Parisian Mantel Clock in Louis XVI Style, signed Lepine, circa 1870
Located in Greven, DE
Mantel Clock in Louis XVI style
Paris
Ormolu, glass, marble
around 1870
Dimensions: H x W x D: 46 x 24 x 17 cm
Description:
Extremely high quality and finely crafted Parisian pend...
Category
1870s French Louis XVI Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Ormolu
Crouching Venus Italian White Marble Sculpture by Pietro Bazzanti
Located in New York, NY
Italian white marble sculpture of the crouching Venus after the ancient Greek Hellenist period work, finely carved by the Italian master, Pietro Bazzanti. Signed P Bazzanti Florence.
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Rare 1870s E. Howard Marble Train Station Bank Municipal Clock Vintage Antique
Located in Hyattsville, MD
This is a very rare clock with the original movement still inside. However, this clock is NOT WORKING, and its completeness is unknown, being sold as-is, as a wall prop. We are not clock collectors or professionals, this is an estate procurement.
No damage to marble or pendulum window. Writing and numbers wearing off marble surface. Bottom back wood case has some cracks, but all there. A very heavy clock.
W 14.5 x D 4 x H 29.75 in.
E. Howard & Co., Boston, Mass., "No. 27" marble front...
Category
1870s North American Victorian Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$2,800 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Carved Marble Recumbent Lions
Located in Norwood, NJ
Fine quality antique carved marble recumbent lions after models by Antonio Canova. Architectural elements most likely part of a larger el...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$3,275 / set
Pair of Gustavian Candlesticks in Brass and Carrara Marble, Late 18th Century
Located in Knivsta, SE
Pair of Gustavian Candlesticks in Brass and Carrara Marble, Late 18th Century
Elegant pair of Gustavian candlesticks from the 1790s, crafted in brass and fine Carrara marble. The c...
Category
1790s Swedish Gustavian Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
Nude Male Bronze Sculpture Fountain
Located in Malibu, CA
Bronze male sculpture signed. Fonderia Giorgio Sommer Calabritto Napoli
Thomas, sculptor, lived and worked in the Naples area, and especially on Capri, from 1889 to 1906. Given this ...
Category
20th Century Italian Renaissance Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Late 18th Century Louis XVI Period Bronze Ormolu Mantel Clock with Candelabras
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A finely bronze fire-gilded ormolu mantel clock set with matching candelabras. Rich ornate with typical Louis XVI mounts, floral garlands, scr...
Category
1770s French Louis XVI Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Ormolu, Enamel
Carrara Italian Marble Bowl Catchall, 1950’s
Located in Springfield, OR
A beautiful Italian marble bowl circa 1950’s. Made exclusively for I. Magnin which was a high end retailer similar to Nordstrom’s today.
Measures 15” diameter and 4” high
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Pair of Post-Modern Italian Carrara Marble Vases
Located in San Diego, CA
A nice pair of post-modern Italian carrara marble vases, circa 1970s. Gorgeous black veins of marble throughout each vase. The pair are in very good vintage condition with no chips o...
Category
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Life Size Italian 19th Century Marble Sculpture Children on Crib, A. Tantardini
By Antonio Tantardini 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Antonio Tantardini (Italian, 1829-1879) An extraordinary Italian 19th century life size carved Carrara white marble sculpture of "A Young Child and a baby in a wicker crib...
Category
1860s Italian Beaux Arts Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$520,000 Sale Price / set
20% Off
14 Inches Mid-Century Modern Round Tan Carrara Marble Bowl Centerpiece Italy
Located in Miami, FL
20th Century Mid-Century Modern handmade 14 inches veined tan, beige Carrara marble bowl, plate, centerpiece made in Italy.
This Bowl is amazingly crafted, very heavy and decorative ...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Soapstone
Carved Translucent Carrara Marble Abstract Sculpture Circa 1960s
Located in Oakland, CA
1960s era hand carved translucent carrara marble abstract sculpture on a hardwood base. Freeform abstract sculpture reminiscent of the work of Jean Arp. The marble is such that it le...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian Carrara Marble Bust Of The Apollo Belvedere
Located in Essex, MA
Nicely carved bust. With round socle base. A celebrated sculpture from classical antiquity.
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian 19th-20th Century Marble Group "Allegory to Music" Children's Orchestra
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and large Italian 19th-20th century Carrara marble group "Allegory to Music" depicting five Bacchic putti musicians playing various instruments. The finely carved Palatia...
Category
Early 1900s Italian Beaux Arts Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$98,985 Sale Price
31% Off
Italian Marble Soap Tray 1970s
Located in Byron Bay, NSW
A sculptural Italian marble soap tray from the 1970s, elegantly carved with a minimalist sensibility. The rectangular form is softened by gently rounded corners and a shallow concave...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Monumental Arturo Di Modica Carrara Marble Abstract Sculpture (1941-2021)
Located in Hamburg, PA
A Monumental White Carrara Marble Abstract Sculpture by Arturo Di Modica. The Italian American Sculptor for the Charging Bull Bronze (1987-1989) at the New York Stock Exchange NYC. T...
Category
20th Century American Modern Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Roman Vanitas Bust Renaissance Revival Memento Mori Marble
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Masterfully carved & most impressive Italian Vanitas bust in solid marble from late 19th century.
White Carrara marble skull combined with a Belgian Bla...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Belgian Black Marble, Carrara Marble
Rare 19th Century Italian Memento Mori Bust / Sculpture Carrara Marble Vanitas
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Masterfully carved Italian Vanitas / Memento Mori bust in solid marble from late 19th century.
White Carrara marble skull combined with masterfully...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Female torso sculpture on white Carrara marble -made in Italy original
Located in Tarquinia, IT
Sculpture, Female torso, classical art, Greek art, Roman art, Torso, white Carrara marble, classical sculpture, ancient torso, Greek torso, Venus torso
Sculpted female torso on whit...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Greco Roman Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian Grand Tour Augustus Caesar Carrara Marble Bust 19th Century
Located in Rochester, NY
Carved Carrara marble bust of Augustus Caesar. Italian grand tour. Mid 19th century.
collection collector paris rome new salon historical fine
not signed. museum or...
Category
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian Carrara Marble Nymph Figure
Located in Newark, England
Fine Italian Carrara marble of a Nymph. The figure stood upon a rocky plinth partially nude with a draped robe seen pouring water from a large urn as she looks on. The beautiful carv...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Classical Greek Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Otterburn Chess Set, Board & Box — Solid Hand-Patinated Brass and Walnut
Located in Washington, GB
A special chess set in solid, hand-patinated brass and walnut. Handcrafted in the North to order. Available in a range of materials and finishes, Otterburn can truly be customized an...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Stone, Limestone, Marble, Carrara Marble, Slate, Copper, Stainless Steel...
19th Century British Carrara Marble Roman Relief Sculpture - Antique Relief
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This Carrara marble bas relief sculpture was hand carved in England in the late 1800s, in good condition. The antique relief sculpture depicts...
Category
19th Century English Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Mid-Century Vittorio Gentile White Carrara Marble Sculpture , Italy, 1960s
Located in Palermo, IT
"Nudo di donna" beautiful sculpture depicting a stylized woman's body, in white Carrara marble with pink shades. The artwork, characterized by curved volumes on a geometric support in grey marble. Manufacture of the Italian master Vittorio Gentile in 60s, signed lower side.
VITTORIO GENTILE (1939 - 2022)
Born in 1939, he was interested in the transformation of stone and form since he was a child.
At 25 he established himself as a point of reference for a genre sculpture based on research, on morphoglobalism.
He understood the sphere as an expansive figure and achieved important successes in Rome and the United States.
It is the years of famous sculptures such as "Il Ratto", "Il Torso" that place him among the great contemporary interpreters.
A success that will continue in the 80s and 90s and which will culminate in the great exhibition at the Vittoriano in 2003.
Vittorio Gentile's forms have an organic genesis. They chase tensions and movements of bodies, abstractions, robust surfaces of shoulders, buttocks, torsos.
The monument to Giovanni Falcone...
Category
1960s Italian Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Carrara Marble
$2,664 Sale Price
20% Off
Lee Broom - Fulcrum Candlestick Black Marble - Small
By Lee Broom
Located in New York, NY
A play on the concept of pivots and supports, Fulcrum is a sculptural and monolithic candlestick whose cylindrical stem appears to balance on a central sphere.
Includes large clear...
Category
2010s British Modern Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
A Pair of Regency Bronze, Gilt-bronze & Marble Candle sticks.
Located in Huntington, NY
A Pair of Regency Bronze, Gilt-bronze & Marble Candle sticks. Gilt-bronze candle cup above black paginated bronze eagles. The eagles clutching se...
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze, Ormolu
$1,960 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century Italian Carrara Marble Horse Head - Antique Décor Sculpture
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A late 19th Century, antique Italian horse head sculpture with harness and mane in a classic style. This statuette was carved by hand in Carrara Marble. It has its’ original antique ...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Limestone, Carrara Marble
A Nice Late 19th Century Italian White Carrara Marble of a Boy Sketching
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Nice Late 19th Century Italian White Carrara Marble of a Boy Sketching
Depicting a child sitting on marble step, writing.
After the very famous model by Antonio Canova (1757-1822...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Belle Époque Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian 19th-20th Century Whimsical White Marble Wishing Wellhead with Children
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and exceptionally carved Italian 19th-20th century Baroque Revival style whimsical white Carrara marble wishing wellhead, raised on an octagonal two-step marble base. The intricately carved marble relief circular wellhead depicting carved figures of dancing and cheerful children (Putti) among vines, flowers and fruits, dancing and playing musical instruments with a backdrop of castles, landscapes, forests and wreaths, Florence, circa, 1900.
Note: We have part II video of this amazing Wishing Wellhead. Please feel free to request a copy.
Literature:
A similar wellhead was sold by Jan's & Co. Fine French Antiques, Inc. in 1999, provenance the Atkinson/Kirkeby Estate and it is illustrated in "The Estates of Beverly Hills" by Charles Lockwood and Jeff-Hyland, page 150.
Another similar is currently on display at the gardens of "The Elms" mansion a public museum part of the Newport Mansions by The Preservation Society of Newport County in Newport, Rhode Island.
Yet another similar wellhead carved with frolicking putti with musical instruments and a dentil molded rim is located at Cranbrook House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and is illustrated in B. Israel, Antique Garden Ornament...
Category
Early 1900s Italian Baroque Revival Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Pr. 19th C. Italian Carrara Marble Children Reading & Writing, Signed A. Piazza
Located in New York, NY
A Pair of 19th Century Italian Hand-Carved and Hand-Polished Carrara Marble Models of Children Reading and Writing, Signed A. Piazza, After Antonio Canova. Antonio Canova (1757–1822...
Category
1890s Italian Neoclassical Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
OSMOSI Artist Proof Glass and Marble Sculpture by Emmanuel Babled for Venini
Located in murano, IT
The work is part of the Osmosis series, exhibited at Palazzo Franchetti, in conjunction with the 55 th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. The project combines new t...
Category
2010s Italian Arts and Crafts Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Pair Marble Cassolettes Antique Carrera Urns
Located in Staffordshire, GB
A pair of substantial 19th-century cassolettes crafted from fine white Carrara marble, accented with intricate gilt bronze (ormolu) mounts cast in the form of Rams heads each holding...
Category
19th Century English Louis XVI Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$6,218 / set
Italian Marble Bust Vanitas / Memento Mori 19th Century Carved Sculpture Italy
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Masterfully carved Italian Vanitas bust in solid marble from late 19th century.
White Carrara marble skull combined with a red Rosso Imperiale marble Ro...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Marble, Carrara Marble
19th Century Italian Neoclassical Style Torso, Antique Carrara Marble Décor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
An antique Italian torso of a Roman male in hand carved Carrara marble and mounted onto a black marble base, in good condition. The Italian décor represe...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Shell Natural Specimen White and Marble Pedestal Victorian Style 20th Century
Located in Mombuey, Zamora
Beautiful and elegant shell on pure white marble pedestal
It has an ornament of a bronze bird, but you can remove it if you don't like it and leave the shell alone.
Its condition i...
Category
Early 20th Century Spanish Other Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble, Brass
Pair of Early 20thC Hand Carved Carrara Marble Guardian Angels Praying
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Amazing pair of hand chisiled marble statues of kneeling guardian angels praying. Hand crafted in Italy from Carrara Marble in about the 1920s. These were kept in storage for a numbe...
Category
1920s Italian Classical Roman Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Italian Ancient Marble Sculpture Fountain, Late 16th Century
Located in Milano, IT
Sea monster
Carrara marble mouth fountain
Italy, late 16th century
It measures 13.8 x 31.5 x 18.9 in (35 x 80 x 48 cm)
State of conservation: some small evident gaps and widespread signs of wear due to outdoor exposure. The gray marks crossing it do not come from restoration, but are rather the natural veins of the marble.
This work has some morphological characteristics typically associated with the iconography of the sea monster: an elongated muzzle, sharp teeth, protruding eyes, elongated ears, and a coiled serpent's tail.
An in-depth series of studies on artistic depictions of the sea monster attempted to verify how this symbol evolved in antiquity in the European and Mediterranean contexts and how it gradually changed its image and function over time. The iconography itself is mutable and imaginative and its history is rich with cultural and artistic exchange, as well as the overlapping of ideas. This occurred so much that it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the "types" that satisfactorily represent its various developments.
However, we can try to summarize the main figures, starting from the biblical Leviathan and the marine creature that swallowed Jonah (in the Christian version, this figure was to become a whale or a "big fish", the “ketos mega”, translation of the Hebrew “dag gadol”). Other specimens ranged from the dragons mentioned in the Iliad (which were winged and had legs) to "ketos” (also from Greek mythology), the terrifying being from whose Latinized name (“cetus”) derives the word "cetacean". See J. Boardman, “Very Like a Whale” - Classical Sea Monsters, in Monsters and Demons in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, in Papers presented in Honor of Edith Porada, Mainz am Rhein 1987, pp. 73-84).
In Italy the monster underwent yet further variations: it can be found in Etruscan art on the front of some sarcophagi representing the companion of souls, while among the Romans we find the “Pistrice” (cited by Plinio in Naturalis Historia PLIN., Nat., II 9, 8 and by Virgilio in Eneide: VERG., Aen., III, 427), which appeared in the shape of a stylized hippocampus or a very large monstrous cetacean and evolved into a hideous being with a dragon's head and long webbed fins.
During the Middle Ages, the sea monster was the object of new transformations: at this time, it is often winged, the head is stretched like a crocodile, the front legs are often very sharp fins - sometimes real paws - until the image merges with dragons, the typical figures of medieval visionary spirituality widely found throughout Europe (on this topic and much more, see: Baltrušaitis, J., Il Medioevo fantastico. Antichità ed esotismi nell’arte gotica, Gli Adelphi 1997).
In Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries, the revival of classicism - representative of the humanistic and Renaissance periods - led to a different reading of these "creatures". Indeed, the sea monster was also to find widespread use as an isolated decorative motif, especially in numerous fountains and sculptures where dolphins or sea monsters were used as a characterizing element linked to water (on this theme see: Chet Van Duzer, Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps, London, The British library, 2013).
From the morphological point of view, the "sea monsters" of this period are mostly depicted as hybrid figures, in which the body of a mythological or real being (a hippocampus, a sea snake, a dolphin), is joined to a head with a rather indistinct appearance. It was usually characterized by large upright ears, an elongated snout, sharp teeth and globular, protruding eyes; a complex and indefinite figure, both from the symbolic point of view and from that of its genesis.
The work we are examining is placed as a cross between the medieval sea serpent and the Renaissance dolphin, with stylistic features which recall the snake as often used in heraldry (such as the "snake" depicted in the coat of arms of the Visconti - the lords and then dukes of Milan between 1277 and 1447 - and which, for some, may be derived from the representations of the “Pistrice” that swallowed Jonah).
In the search for sources, Renaissance cartography and in particular woodcuts should not be neglected. See for example the monsters of Olaus Magnus, from the editions of the “Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus” (“History of the peoples of the north”) and the natural histories of Conrad Gesner, Ulisse...
Category
16th Century Italian Renaissance Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Memento or Vanitas carved on white Carrara and Emperador spain
Located in Tarquinia, IT
memento marble, vanitas marble, vanitas bust, ancient Roman, Roman art, classical art, Greek art, bust, white Carrara marble, emperador bust, classical sculpture, ancient sculpture, ...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Baroque Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Home Design White Calacatta Marble Bath Holds 5 People Gallerystock
Located in Carrara, IT
The organically shaped Ovum basin symbolizes tribute to the perfection within Nature. Although geometrical, the softness of the edges combines with the water surface to create an egg...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Otterburn Chess Set & Board — Solid Hand-Patinated Brass and Walnut
Located in Washington, GB
A special chess set in solid hand-patinated brass. Handcrafted in the North to order. Available in a range of materials and finishes, Otterburn can tru...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Limestone, Stone, Marble, Carrara Marble, Slate, Bronze, Copper, Enamel,...
Green Armando Rosato’s 1977 Carrara Marble Masterpiece
Located in Oirlo, LI
This stunning Carrara marble sculpture, crafted by the renowned artist Armando Rosato in 1977, is a testament to his mastery in hand-carved marble artistry. The piece seamlessly blen...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Mid-Century Modern Carrara Marble Abstract Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
This elegantly bold Mid-Century Modern Carrara Marble Abstract Sculpture originates from the United States, Circa 1970. Features an abstracted geometric form with a remarkable sense ...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
Ferdinando Vichi Lifesize Marble Figure "Apollo Belvedere"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ferdinando Vichi (Italian, 1875-1945) A fine and lifesize Italian white Carrara marble Greco-Roman figure of the Belvedere Apollo, after the original, now in the Vatican Museum, the Belvedere Apollo has defined the Greek aesthetic ideals of harmony, noble simplicity and quiet grandeur. Apollo is depicted as an archer, having just killed the Python of Delphi. The carved figure displays the tension lingering as if the arrow has just left his bow. Standing on an oval base inscribed: F. Vichi, Firenze, Made in Italy. Florence, circa 1895-1900.
Measures: Height 68 inches (192 cm)
Width 47 1/4 inches (120 cm)
Depth 38 1/2 inches (97.8 cm)
Width of base 25 inches (63.5 cm)
Former Property of Adolph Henrich Joseph Sutro's famous Cliff House and indoor public swimming establishment, The Sutro Baths...
Category
19th Century Italian Greco Roman Antique Carrara Marble Decorative Objects
Materials
Carrara Marble
$92,850 Sale Price
30% Off
Read More
How a Craving for Color Revolutionized Glass
After synthetic dyes changed fashion, home goods and printed matter, it was only a matter of time till glass caught up.
Kazuyo Sejima’s Flowering Tree Blooms Year-Round
The brilliantly simple design turns a modest bouquet into a major statement.
He Wrote ‘Oedipus Rex,’ but Do You Know What He Looked Like?
The Greek tragedian is said to have been handsome in his day.
Cigar Culture Was Once the Peak of Masculinity. Now, It’s a Compelling Curiosity
Even for those who don’t indulge, elegant smoking accessories and audacious art portraying cigar enthusiasts hold a nostalgic allure.
African Travel Plans on Hold? This Ardmore Leopard Vase Brings the Beauty of the Savanna to You
It’s an excellent example of the sought-after ceramics coming out of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
With a High-Tech Flagship and Cool Collabs, Lladró Is Breaking the Mold for Porcelain Production
Thanks to its new leadership, the Spanish maker of figurines, busts and lighting is on a mission to update the art of porcelain for the 21st century.
Zoë Powell’s Magnolia 05 Vessel Is Handmade from Clay She Unearthed Herself
The free-form stoneware piece is inspired by the magnolia tree and its associations with home.
8 Ways to Breathe New Life into a Space with Plants
The pair behind the Instagram account @houseplantclub share their tips for making any room of the house gloriously green.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Japanese Porcelain Edo
Industrial Revolution
Japanese Porcelain Bird
Italian Gothic Furniture
Italian Gothic
Japanese Raku Ceramics
French Souvenir
Laurel Crown
Lily Pad
Japanese Porcelain 17th Century
Lion Charm
High Altar
Gold Altar
Hungary Ceramic
Light Blue Desk
Large Decorative Ball
Hand Painted Tiger
King Louis Xiv