Carrara Marble Decorative Objects

A phenomenal pair of 19th century french white marble vases with quality gilt bronze ormolu mounts including a beaded rim to base, acanthus leaf supports, artfully crafted foliate an...

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING From our Decorative collection, we are pleased to present this elegant pair of Italian Grand Tour Marble Plaques, dating to the mid-19th century, circa 1860....

A lovely early 20th century Italian Carrara marble sculpture of two sisters by Affortunato Gory Depicting two little girls reading, one with a b...

An Impressive 19th Century Italian Hand-Carved Carrara Marble Model of The Three Graces, Originally by Antonio Canova. The carving on this piece is exceptionally well done. The faces, hair, hands and draped clothing...

An impressive pair of monumental carved marble figures in the classical tradition, depicting idealized warrior figures inspired by the art of antiquity, dating to the late 20th centu...

Antique male marble torso, circa 1850 A copy of the roman marble statue Apoxyomenus in Musei Vaticani in Rome (I sec d.c.) copy of a greek bronze athlete statue...

Masterfully carved Italian Vanitas bust in solid marble from late 19th century. White Carrara marble skull combined with a red Rosso Imperiale marble Ro...

Carrara marble sculpture signed A. Batacchi, Italy, Florence, late 19th century.

Joelle Neveu (1944-2007, France) : Monumental "Cubist Totem" Direct carving in Carrara marble - Unique piece France, circa 1970 Good condition (approximate weight 450 kg) Dimensi...

Pietro Bazzanti - Barzanti (Italian, 1825-1895) "After the Bath" - a very Fine and large carved white Carrara marble figure of a semi-nude young maiden standing by the sea-shore. The smiling and posing young beauty, with bare breasts and back, her right arm juxtaposed over her head, while holding a blanket over her waist with her left hand and standing barefoot by a rocky seawall and wavy shoreline. Signed 'P. Barzanti/Florence' (on reverse) and raised on a cylindrical swiveling carved verde antico solid marble pedestal. circa: Florence, 1880-1890. Pietro Bazzanti or Barzanti (Italian, 1825-1895) was a 19th Century Italian sculptor born in Florence. Together with his brother, Niccolò Bazzanti (Firenze, 1802-1869) who was also a sculptor, they both worked the sprawling Florentine studio 'Pietro Bazzanti e Figlio' a hugely successful sculpture studio, operated within the family at their gallery on Lungarno Corsini until the mid-twentieth century. The studio was a place where many talented professors and apprentice sculptors specialized in sculpting marble...

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...

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...

Carrara marble sculpture signed Luca Madrassi, Paris, circa 1890. Art Nouveau period.

A powerful study of a young stone-carver, he rests against the stone of his tradecraft, the young sculptor simple hefting his hammer in one hand and...

A large bust of a noble man from the end of the 19th century in carrara marble signed by French sculptor, Joseph Vallet, who born in La Boisiére du Doré on August 6, 1841, and died i...

This finely executed bust of a Naiad is attributed to the neoclassical sculptor John Gibson (1790 – 1866). A Naiad was a type of mythological water nymph and is depicted here with her head bowed and cocked slightly to the side, displaying her strong neo-Hellenistic profile. In her hair, the nymph wears a headdress that is comprised of long and slender reed leaves, which not only identifies her iconographically as a water spirit, but draws a close comparison with those worn by the female figures in John Gibson’s Hylas Surprised by the Naiades (1827 - 1837) (fig.1). The downwards and off-centre orientation of our Naiad bust mirrors that of the taller figure on the left of the group, who rests her cheek on the head young Hylas (fig.2) Her facial physiognomy follows the neo-Hellenistic archetype established by Gibson and can be closely compared with his Tinted Venus – one of the most important statues of the Victorian era (1851–56, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) (fig.3). While Gibson’s Tinted Venus is known best for its controversial polychrome ‘tinting’, the essential structure of the face—broad brow, finely drawn nose, wide (and slightly drooping) almond-shaped eyes - provided a template that Gibson returned to repeatedly in his depiction of mythological maidens. Critics of the time noted the consistency of his female types, with some seeing their idealised severity as an antidote to the sentimentality of much mid-Victorian sculpture (fig.4 – 6). The facial physiognomy is also very similar to a drawing by Gibson at the Royal Academy that depicts Hero weeping over the dead body of Leander (fig.7). The socle style of the present work also finds comparisons with Gibsons busts of Cupid and Aurora. This was of course somewhat standardised, but it is interesting to note the extent of their similarity with our bust. John Gibson RA is considered by many to be the greatest British sculptor of the nineteenth century working in the Neoclassical style. It is hard to overestimate the impact Rome had on the life and art of the artist. He first arrived in the city around 1817, when he was just twenty-six, and remained a resident there until his death. Not only did Rome’s ancient sculptural treasures and architectural fragments offer Gibson a lifetime of inspiration, but the Grand Tourists who poured into Rome in the first half of the nineteenth century provided him with many commercial opportunities. These rich or aristocratic travellers sought out mythological sculptures for their grand, palatial residences. However, since the papal decrees of Doria Pamphilj and Pacca of 1803 banned the export of ancient Greek and Roman works of art from Rome, there was a large demand for modern idealised sculpture in the Neoclassical style (Frasca-Rath 2016, p. 10). During his early days in the city he had the great fortune to train under both Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen (Roscoe and Hardy 2009, p. 522). He referred continuously to Canova as his “master”, particularly in his memoirs, which he dictated to Margarete Sandbach at the beginning of the 1850s; these were subsequently published by Lady Eastlake in 1870. Moreover, he claimed to be Canova’s last pupil in a letter to Antonio Gacini, Secretary of the Royal Academy in Milan in 1861, written to thank the Academy for accepting him as an Honorary Member: “The first instruction which I received in my art was from an Italian. It was Canova whose pupil I became in the year 1817 and studied under him for five years when he died. I was his last pupil” (Royal Academy Archive GI/1376). By 1821, Gibson had established his own studio in the via Fontanella, off the via Babuino. From here he aimed to produce sculpture of “the sublime and the purest beauty”, believing that the sculptor’s role was to select and combine the most beautiful parts of nature to create a harmonious whole, which would delight and elevate the viewer. By the mid nineteenth century he was one of the few remaining exponents of the so-called ‘pure’ and ‘neo Hellenistic’ style of sculpture, resolutely upholding the Neoclassical ideals established by Wincklemann, in a period when naturalism and modern subjects preoccupied the majority of artists in Europe (Turner, ed., 1996, p. 598). Gibson was convinced of the importance of disseminating artistic ideas through the younger generations, an ideal no doubt impressed upon him by Canova, and established ‘the British Academy of Arts in Rome’. His students included William Theed (1804–1891), Benjamin Spence (1822–1866), Harriet Hosmer...

A beautifully hand-carved Italian marble bust depicting a smiling young child, executed in softly veined cream-toned marble. The sculpture captures a tender, animated expression, wit...

An elegant and well sculpted French 19th century white Carrara marble statue of 'La Baigneuse', bathing lady after the original by Falconet. The statue de...

Small Marble Table Sculpture. Very nice form, no signature or markings. W 6.5 x D 3 x H 5 in

This sculpture is beautifully carved from carrara Marble and is made to fit the marble pedestal It is signed Carusi at the base. She is holding her Dog and has a finger held to her ...

Exceptional pair of vases in the shape of a cantharus. From a foot with overlapping moldings like strips, woven ribbons and acanthus leaves, a smooth stem rises, tapering towards t...

A Magnificent, Exceptionally Rare, Museum Quality Pair of 18th Century English Ormolu Mounted, Hand-Carved and Hand-Polished Carrara Marble Cassolettes, By Matthew Boulton. These beautiful ormolu-mounted white marble cassolettes are by Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) and John Fothergill (1730- circa 1782) published in their Pattern Book No. 1 (page 171, figure t) and reproduced in Sir Nicholas Goodison's Ormolu: The Work of Matthew Boulton (New York, 1974, page 383, figure 161). Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was a close friend of Boulton's and his patterns are thought to be the source for the medallions used on the plinths of these. Boulton's medallions of classical figures are almost identical to the cameos and intaglios made by Wedgwood and his partner James Tassie. Molds for these examples can be found in the Wedgwood Collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum. All derive from the same classical source of Renaissance gems. Many gem collections in Europe were widely published at this time and Boulton's library contained A. F. Gori's Museum Florentinum (1731-1766), in which gems from the Medici collection were engraved. The subjects of the medallions on this pair are: Pomona, a Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards, and depicted carrying a basket on her head overloaded with fruit, tumbling to the ground, shown once on each vase. Hygeia, once on each, with an olive branch in her right hand, as seen in Tassie's reproduction of Valerio Belli's gem, and holding a snake in her left hand over an altar. This was produced by Wedgwood both as an intaglio and as a cameo. Venus & Cupid, only on one vase, showing Venus leaning against a column with a pike, and giving a helmet to Cupid. Aesclepius, Greek GD of medicine, only on one vase, depicted with a snake wrapped around his staff .The last medallion subject is either Diomedes or Perseus, shown once on each vase, depicted as a conquering hero. Boulton asked patrons to choose from a limited repertoire of motifs, and therefore each vase or pair of vases is adorned with their own combination. Boulton used nine medallion subjects on recorded vases of this type. PROVENANCE & COMPS Another pair of this model, with slightly less elaborate lids and finials, from a private collection are illustrated in Goodison's Matthew Boulton: ORMOLU, (page 379, figure 153). A further example is in a private New York collection. This pair, which was acquired from Hotspur in 1981, was formerly in the Collection of Marjorie Wiggin Prescott, sold Christie’s, New York, 31 January 1981, lot 76. The Prescott Collection was one of the most important English furniture collections of its time. The sale consisted mostly of late 17th and 18th century English furniture...

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...

A wonderful Silver cup with a brass band detail on a marble or granite base. The cup, while perfectly suited for a small gathering of flowers or to store pencils on a desk, is actually a small trophy. While it isn't prominent, a small brass icon...

This sculpture has great appeal due to the characteristics it employs with joyful Children dancing and playing a horn. The draping surrounds the piece in A graceful way. It is prese...

Candy Marble Bowl – A refined handcrafted bowl in marble, perfect as a centerpiece or decorative accent. Unique veining makes each piece one of a kind.

This handsome depiction of a Victorian lady with her Dog is well carved and beautiful on all sides. It comes With a separate base for presentation. It is antique and A fine garden pi...

A very attractive pair of French 19th century Louis XVI st. white Carrara marble and ormolu cassolettes with all original gilt. The pair are raised by a thick square shaped marble ba...

Description: Bust of Diana in Carrara marble. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, INFORMATION OF THE LOT AND SHIPPING INFORMATION CAN BE REQUEST BY SENDING AN EMAIL Indicative shipping costs in Italy...

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...

White Carrara marble mortar with carved decorations complete with wooden pestle decorations make this mortar a unique piece the measurements are h cm 11 diameter at the handles 26 cm...

Carrara marble mantel clock with barometer, thermometers, and perpetual calendar French, 19th Century Height 46cm, width 36.5cm, depth 16.5cm This unusual timepiece sets five elements within a marble case: a clock dial, barometer, lunar clock...

Bust of the young emperor Nero (37 – 68 A.D.) Rome, first half of the 18th century Carved from white carrara, sicilian jasper and bigio morato marble 50 cm high 33 cm wide 

Provena...

Elegant 19th century Carrara marble sculpture depicting Euphrosyne, one of the Three Charities (or Three Graces) of Greek mythology, traditionally representing joy, mirth, and celebr...

Modern Monique Marble Column, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple. The Monique marble column, carved from exquisite Calacatta Cremo marble, embodies timeless sophisticati...

Psyche of Capua. White marble bust of Venus, after antique. Italy, late 19th century. Inscribed, 'Chiurazzi.' Measures: 21 in. (53.3 cm) height.

A magnificent and very high quality French 19th century Louis XVI st. marble and finely chased ormolu clock. The clock is raised on six ormolu topie shaped feet below the white Carrara marble base with scrolled foliate ormolu mounts and beaded border. Perched above is a charming winged cherub holding up an arrow. At each side are lovely ormolu maidens draped in classic attire with their flowing hair, holding up a floral wreath. Centered is the ormolu clock with paw feet fluted and scrolled designs at the base and swaging foliate garland. Above the enamel dial is decorated with a winged cherub bust...

Depicting Hannah with draping robes holding Samuel in her left arm and placing a donation in a trunk with an engraved Menorah to its front, signed 'F. Andrei. Inv. E. Scolp. Roma 186...

Each sconce is meticulously carved from marble and depicts a robust cherub holding a shield with intricate carvings. The cherubs showcase exquisite craftsmanship, with realistic deta...

An Outstanding Pair 19th Century Italian Hand-Carved Carrara Marble Busts of Apollo & Artemis, One Bust is Signed on the Back, "F Vichi". This pair of stunning marble busts, hand-car...

A stunning Italian 19th century white Carrara marble statue on its original Vert de Patricia marble swivel pedestal. The statue depicts a beautiful young girl consoling her baby brother...

A wonderful and richly detailed Italian 19th century white Carrara marble statue of the Kneeling Venus, signed A. Pettrich Setilopia. This stunning statue is raised on an oval base w...

Horses, horse sculpture, marble horses, high relief horses, running horses, Italian art horses, made in Italy, bas-relief horses, high relief horse. High relief representing a group ...

An extraordinary primitive brut sculpture created from wood and Italian marble by the acclaimed Italian self-taught artist and sculptor Luciano Bertolotto (Pompi) . Isola Rizza, Ita...

Marble sculpture of a bathing woman, crafted in white marble after the renowned 'La Baigneuse' model by Christophe-Gabriel Allegrain. The piece depicts an elegant standing female fig...

19th Century Neoclassical White Marble and Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock Set, circa 1860. 19th Century Neoclassical White Marble and Gilt Bronze Figurative Mantel Clock Set, circa 1860 A fine 19th Century French Neoclassical White Marble and Gilt Bronze Mantel Clock Set with its original and exceptional movement. Bears the makers mark, Finot a Versailles. The dial supporting a reclining bronze classical muse on a rectangular white Carrara marble base decorated by a row of gilt bronze beads, the set rests on four feet. The cross in the hand of the bronze muse can be removed (see photos). This 19th Century figurative clock is very decorative, interesting for its technicality of the dial and provenance. The bronze feminine muse and its shape has a perfect patina and is a remarkable conversational piece. The garniture set are a pair of fine neoclassical bronze vases with brown and golden patina that rest on white Carrara marble embellished with gilt bronze figural handles...

A spectacular and highly detailed Italian early 19th century white Carrara marble statue of Rebecca at the well, signed by Carmelo Fontana (1775-1825). Rebecca is standing pro...

Large Carrara marble group of Virgin, Child and The Baptist signed P. Romanelli Italian, 19th century Measures: Figure: height, 170cm, width 70cm, depth 40cm Base: height 93.5cm, width 59.5cm, depth 43cm Executed in stunning Carrara marble, this exceptional sculpture is signed for the Florentine artist Pasquale Romanelli...

An impressive and near life size Italian 19th century Carrara marble and Ormolu statue of Lady Justice. The stunning Justice is standing above a square platform wearing sandals and ...

A wonderfully executed Italian 19th century white Carrara marble statue of Venus by the Waves, signed by Cesare Lapini, 1885. The statue is raised by a circular mottled base below th...

North Italian, Veneto, circa 1700 Bust of a classical woman, possibly Diana Marble, on a variegated grey marble socle 41.5 cm. high / 16 ¼ ins (the bust), 56 cm. / 22 ins high, overa...

Antique French Bronze D'Oré and Carrara Marble Clock, Circa 1880.

A 19th century French Sèvres biscuit porcelain figurine of a couple seated in the garden. The gentleman is feeding grapes to the lady, whose l...

20th Century Mid-Century Modern handmade 14 inches veined white Carrara marble bowl, plate, centerpiece made in Italy. This Bowl is amazingly crafted, very heavy and decorative on a ...

This arresting and abstract vintage signed dark bronze sculpture has many variations of forms from the many angles. It has a very Jean Arpesque l...

ART NOUVEAU BRONZE BY JULIEN CAUSSE A stunning sculpture that embodies the elegance of the Art Nouveau period—an exquisite representation of a woman thoughtfully inscribing the date...

A 17th century architectural fragment probably part of a sculpted colomn or doorway. With a spiraling bread between two straight angels carved out meticulous and skilfully. As a obje...

A fine quality alabaster sculpture of cupid with a butterfly. Nude figure of cupid with a butterfly, sitting on a rock, his bow and arrow on the ground with the flowers. Artist: After William Adolphe Bouguereau...

Abstract interlocking Carrara marble sculpture by Andrea Cascella (1919-1990), Italy 1987. A refined abstract sculpture composed of three interlocking elements. The stylized, rounded...

An antique marble bust of a bearded male in classical Roman attire. Larger than life size and carved in pure white Italian statuary Carrara marble. In u...