Italian Animal Sculptures

A striking Italian 18th century giltwood and polychrome statue of two eagles. The statue is raised by a most decorative polychrome ground and branch like designed base. Above are two...

Pair of amazing Italians Minotauro Sculptures Minotaur, large marble figure, Italy, 17th century, figure with a human body and the head of a bull, baroque style, white slightly sp...

These utterly captivating, hand-carved stone lions hail from Italy and date to circa 1600, possibly even earlier. Their regal couchant (lying down) posture adds an air of majestic charm to any setting. One lion gracefully rests its forepaws on a stone ball, while the other clutches a coat of arms shield. They are carved in the same stylistic manner as many of the medieval lions...

Gilt bronze lion on marble base. Antique chased gilt bronze recumbent lion on rare green speckled marble base. Italy, late 17th century. Dimensions: Ov...

XVII Century Lion Marble, 30 x 43 x 25 The object under consideration is configured as a marble sculpture referable to the 17th century, characterized by a strong, visceral langua...

Italian 18th C Grand Tour Roman Bronze Bust of a Horse, Specimen Marble Base Italy, Later 18th Century A Italian 18th Century Grand Tour Roman Bronze Bust of a Horse, displayed on ...

Griffin head Italy, 16th century On a modern metal stand Measures: 20 x 29 x 21 cm (without the stand) The griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion, the head an...

Magnificent hand carved Carrara marble sculpture of a lioness head from Rome. Mounted on a metal base. Base 13.75"W x 12.25"D.

Italian Romanesque 12th century marble recumbent lion 12th century Italian roman marble lion  with a stylized mane and tail wrapped around its body a...

Calzetta Da Ravenna (Attivo Tra IL 1496 E IL 1543 circa) Severo. Circle of. Candlestick depicting a kneeling satyr. The model of the present bronze is the ""kneeling satyr"" attributed to Severo Calzetta da Ravenna, one of the main Paduan bronze sculptors of the first half of the 16th century, whose figure was rediscovered by Planiscig in 1935 (L. Planiscig, ""Severo da Ravenna...

Rare pair of sitting Mastiffs dogs. Venice, end of 15th century - first half of the 16th century. Istrian stone. Provenance: - Important private collection of an architect and scenographer from Orvieto (Umbria) A regular exportation licence delivered by the Italian Ministry of Culture accompanies the work. The representation of the dog dates back to ancient times, when dogs were considered weapons of war and used to attack the enemy or stand guard to protect strategic locations. At the entrance to the Pompei’s villa, the presence of a "cave canem...

Unique 18th century giltwood element fish sculpture. This piece includes antique fragments along with a tortoise shell and sea shells. A real conversation piece.

Unusual 18th century fish sculpture made of antique giltwood fragments. A very interesting and unique piece of art!

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...

Cerberus Black painted stone Italy, 17th century Measures: 80 x 69 x 36cm (one head missing) Cerberus, cruel monster, fierce and strange, Through his wide threefold throat barks as a dog Over the multitude immers'd beneath. His eyes glare crimson, black his unctuous beard, His belly large, and claw'd the hands, with which He tears the spirits, flays them, and their limbs Piecemeal disparts (Dante, Inferno, Canto VI). Cerberus figure seated, in his role of ferocious guardian of the underworld; he shows a nervous musculature, an adherent skin which reveals the ribs, long and robust limbs; his heads are broad and the eyes set well apart. Painted in black to amplify his menacing look, the infernal guardian is depicted with his famous attributes, writhing his heads, growling and barking furiously. Cerberus, in Greek mythology, was the monstrous watchdog of the underworld – also known as the “hound of Hades” – preventing the dead from leaving, and making sure that those who entered never left. A child of Typhon and Echidna, he was part of a monstrous family, which included Orthus, the Lernaean Hydra, and the Chimaera as well. Only on three occasions Cerberus was tricked by visitors of Hades: Heracles did it with his strength, Orpheus with his music. In "The Inferno", Dante places Cerberus as the guardian of the third circle of Hell. With his three mouths, Dante saw Cerberus as a beast that was synonymous with the sin of Gluttony. Virgil gets past the monster by throwing mud in his three mouths, temporarily choking him. Very rare are the representations of Cerberus in ancient statuary...

IMPERIAL EAGLE Italian, 17th Century sculpture in carved and gilded wood, based on a base decorated with plant motifs and masks with two claw and ball-...

Early fine carved sculpture of a lying lion. Attributed to the circle of Alessandro Vittoria, located in northern Italy/ Venice. Original late Renaissance or early Baroque figure. T...

This is a large heavy rectangular shaped carved marble relief of the Agnus Dei. It depicts a lamb with curly hair seated over a Bible and bearing ...

An old Italian wooden sculpture of a rampant carrousel horse. Modern metal base. Measure refers to the horse only. Italy, 1750 ca.

Each on hind legs one black and one white and a mirror form of the other.

A charming true pair of Italian 18th century white carrara marble statuettes of lions. Each statue is raised by an oval terr...

18th century Italian sculpture of an owl made of fragments including a sharks jaw. So interesting. A real conversation piece!

Pair of 18th century Italian gold-leaf fragment horse head sculptures. The pair is made of 18th century Italian water-gilt fragments mounted on scroll ...

Exceptional pair of aigles of the 16th century of Italy Superbe pair of wooden sculpted aigles from the Italian Renaissance. Very Fine and delicate sculpture The pair of eagles se...

Rare, pair of 13th century, Romanesque, marble, recumbent lions Recumbent lions were popular in 11th-13th century Italian architecture with pairs ...

Pair 18th C. Carved Marble Terracotta Figures Lions Sculptures Garden Statues LA . Rare large Pair of early 18th century carved marble terracotta Figures of regal lions, holding an i...

Cavalier King Charles spaniel gilt porcelain dog. Antique gilt porcelain dog sculpture on conforming white oblong octagonal gilt banded ...

This large 18th century figure of a dramatic and animated Griffon was made in Italy in the mid-18th century. Carved in great detail then gessoed, painted and gilded the figure stands...

This is a very rare large antique hand carved, polychromed and gilt eagle. Unbelievable workmanship went into making this wooden bird of prey sculpture...

Sculpture in bronze lost-wax casting,. Origin from a Como private house in circa 1970.

Pair of early giltwood book stands carved as doves mounted upon orbs, from the late 17th or early 18th century. Nice large scale. Books are laid open across the backs of the doves' w...

Vinovo white soft-paste figure of a recumbent lion on a canted rectangular plinth, Italy, circa 1780. Incised cross and V mark. See similar example in the collection of Palazzo Madam...

Pair of continental lion and lioness, Italian, circa 1770.

Gruppo di quattro scimmie in legno di tiglio finemente intagliato e patinato scuro. I primati, rappresentati con dovizia di particolari anatomici, assumono pose singolari che le rend...

Northern Italian, 17th Century Giltwood Eagle Hand Carved wooden eagle bird of prey Gilded and painted over Gesso Eagles symbolise strengt...