Bronze Bust of a Smiling Satyr by Vincenzo Gemito on Marble Base, Late 19th C

View Similar Items

Antique 65cm Bronze "The water carrier" Vincenzo Gemito 19th Century

Bust of Antinous on Column Set – Late 19th Century

Late 19th Century Bronze Bust of Caesar

Late 19th Century Russian Bronze Ormolu Sculpture of a Boy on a Marble Base

Pair of Late 19th Century Bronze Busts by A. Mahuex

Late 19th Century Bronze Bust Sculpture

Late 19th Century Italian Marble Bust

Late 19th Century Bronze Bust of Ariadne F Barbedienne

Late 19th Century Bronze Putti Sculpture on Base

Late 19th Century Bronze Sculpture of a Dancing Satyr/Faun by G. Roth, Germany

19th Century Seated Cherub Bronze on Marble Base

Small Bronze Eagle Bust on Marble Base

About the Item

This beautifully detailed bronze bust by Vincenzo Gemito (Italian 1852-1929) represents the greco-roman mythological Satyr, a woodland god and follower of Dionysos, known for erotic desires and over indulgence of wine. Yes, our satyr has a mischievous and lustful smile which the artist has captured with great sense of personality. Wearing a wreath of grape leaves and grapes patinated in a greener color we notice the rudimentary horns and the pointed ears. Gracefully placed near the edge of the stepped marble base the satyr's beard overlaps the base with great sculptural effect. Vincenzo Gemito, born in Naples in 1852, is considered to be the most important Italian sculptor of the late nineteenth century and is increasingly regarded as one of its greatest draughtsmen. An orphan street child until he was adopted by a poor artisan, he was put out as an assistant to the sculptor Emanuele Caggiano at the age of nine. He then attached himself informally to the older but more progressive sculptor Stanislao Lista, who apparently encouraged him to work from street models. Having acquired the skills of modeling in clay and wax, the young man set himself up independently. In 1868 he exhibited a sculpture at the Promotrice di Belle Arti in Naples, The Card Player, that showed a Neapolitan urchin scratching his head and studying a hand of cards. The work attracted the attention of Victor Emmanuel II, king of Italy, who purchased a bronze cast of it for the Capodimonte collection, a notable honor for the sixteen-year-old sculptor. Gemito cultivated a kind of rugged realism in the interpretations of his subjects, conveyed by contrasting rough and smooth surfaces. His drawing oeuvre kept pace with his sculpture, and what has appropriately been termed his "naturalistic bizarrerie" is seen in 1876 in the terra-cotta Chinese Acrobat and also in a series of pen-and-ink studies of fisher boys, which culminated in the life-size bronze Little Fisher Boy (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence). From 1877-1881 Gemito lived in Paris, where he was a friend of the sculptor Ernest Meissonnier, whose work could not have been more different from his own. On his return to Naples he incorporated another thread of tradition into his work, that of his classical predecessors in Pompeii and Herculaneum, which resulted in the bronze sculpture Water Carrier (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome). In 1883 he set up his own bronze foundry for lost-wax casting. The Philadelphia Museum of Art owns an over-life-size bronze bust of his patron, Baron Oscar de Mesnil, executed "in 12 hours" in 1885 (E1990-91-1). Gemito's style did not lend itself to grandiloquent public monuments, and he produced only one such large-scale work, the marble Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, commissioned by Umberto I, son of Victor Emmanuel II, as part of a series of eight rulers to grace the facade of the Palazzo Reale in Naples. Gemito suffered some sort of mental collapse in 1887-1909 remained a recluse, involved primarily with drawing. He returned to sculpture around 1910, and from that year until his death his inclinations took another eccentric twist-away from the realism of modern life and toward mythological subjects. He worked on a small scale, often enhancing his surfaces with precious metals. Imaginary portraits emerged in the 1920s, including one of Alexander the Great and a head of Medusa. Gemito died in Naples in 1929.

Creator:
Vincenzo Gemito (Sculptor)
Dimensions:
Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)Depth: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)
Style:
Greco Roman (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Marble
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1880
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Very attractive antique condition.
Seller Location:
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2165330264172

More From This Seller

View All

19th Ct. Bronze After Etienne Alexandre Stella French 37" 'Figure of Spring'

By Étienne Alexandre Stella

Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Etienne Alexandre Stella (19th Century, French). 'Allegorical figure of Spring'. Bronze features a lady with her child and birds on her arm. Bronze is unsigned. Overall good conditio...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

19th Ct. Bronze After Etienne Alexandre Stella French 37" 'Figure of Spring'

$4,450

Wonderful Pair of Custom Made Coral Fragments Mounts on Antique Gilt Wood Bases

Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Pair of wonderful coral and gilt wood fragments. These were custom made. Pieces of coral mounted onto antique gilt wood bases. One of a kind.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Natural Specimens

Materials

Coral

Wonderful Pair of Custom Made Coral Fragments Mounts on Antique Gilt Wood Bases

$1,595

Driftwood Sculpture of Four Expressive Figures by Marc Bourlier, French B. 1947

By Marc Bourlier

Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

This a wonderful driftwood sculpture or assemblage by Marc Bourlier originally purchased at Galerie Beatrice Soulier in Paris when the gallery had their exhibition 'Small de Marc Bou...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Iron

Driftwood Sculpture of Four Expressive Figures by Marc Bourlier, French B. 1947

$1,650

Andreas von Zadora Canadian (Born 1957) Lapidary Citrine Sculpture of Camel

By Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof

Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof, Canadian ( Born 1957). Lapidary sculpture of a Brazilian citrine recumbent camel (signed and dated '94) with red garnet e...

Category

1990s Animal Sculptures

Materials

Gold, Silver

Andreas von Zadora Canadian (Born 1957) Lapidary Citrine Sculpture of Camel

$9,995

Andreas von Zadora Canadian (Born 1957) Lapidary Obsidian Sculpture of Buffalo

By Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof

Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof, Canadian ( Born 1957). Lapidary mahogany obsidian sculptured buffalo has cabochon ruby eyes and is standing on an obsidia...

Category

1990s Animal Sculptures

Materials

Gold

Andreas von Zadora Canadian (Born 1957) Lapidary Obsidian Sculpture of Buffalo

$9,995

Wonderful English 18th-19th Century Red Chinoiserie Grandfather Clock

Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

English late 18th-early 19th century red chinoiserie grandfathers clock. Brass dial inscribed Jan Chater. Working condition. Beautiful detail and paint. Wonderful condition.

Category

Antique Late 18th Century English Chinoiserie Grandfather Clocks and Lon...

Materials

Metal

Wonderful English 18th-19th Century Red Chinoiserie Grandfather Clock

$8,750

Antique 1880s Italian Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Antique 65cm Bronze "The water carrier" Vincenzo Gemito 19th Century

$2,373

Bust of Antinous on Column Set – Late 19th Century

Located in HÉRIC, FR

Plaster cast, bust of Antinous from the Capitol on a column, sculpted from a single block. This work is taken from a marble statue of Antinous, preserved in the Capitoline Museum in ...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Greco Roman Busts

Materials

Plaster

Bust of Antinous on Column Set – Late 19th Century

$4,789

Late 19th Century Bronze Bust of Caesar

Located in Bradenton, FL

A bronze bust of Julius Caesar, c.1890. This bronze bust of Caesar has characteristic features such as a prominent forehead, short cropped hair, and a slightly furrowed brow. In the ...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century German Neoclassical Busts

Materials

Bronze

Late 19th Century Bronze Bust of Caesar

$2,450

Late 19th Century Russian Bronze Ormolu Sculpture of a Boy on a Marble Base

Located in Swedesboro, NJ

Dimensions- H: 12 1/2in W: 12in D: 4in This late 19th Century Russian bronze ormolu sculpture of a boy is made of the highest quality! This antique sculpture features a lovely marb...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Russian Louis XV Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Late 19th Century Russian Bronze Ormolu Sculpture of a Boy on a Marble Base

$1,480 Sale Price

20% Off

Pair of Late 19th Century Bronze Busts by A. Mahuex

Located in Long Island City, NY

A Pair of Late 19th Century Bronze Busts By A Mahuex By A. Mahuex Depicting busts of young boys sitting on a black marble base. Details: Height – 10 inches / 25cm Diameter – 4 in...

Category