19 Th Century Italian Bronze Flora Bust, Marble, Neoclassical

About the Item

Exceptional bust of a woman, probably made in 19th century Italy, in patinated bronze, and following a neoclassical style. The head of "Flora" appears resting on a quadrangular base made of grayish marble that highlights the dark color of the main piece. Regarding aesthetic and iconographic issues, the woman's features respond to the canons of beauty typical of antiquity and, through completely idealized features, we see the mannered gesture and restrained expressiveness that the female face adopts. In addition, the meticulousness and elegance with which each of the hairs on the bust are treated stands out. These hairs appear accompanied by precious floral and fruit details. In short, it is a magnificent work comparable, due to its clear academic and neoclassical inspiration, to the great sculptures and most notable masterpieces of the classical world. About neoclassical sculpture The Apollonian beauty of this piece is more than singular. Inspire strength and serenity at the same time. Through its bronze finish and its very careful texture, it will make you feel that you are playing the classic original. As in architecture, in neoclassical sculpture the archaeological memory of the past weighed enormously, very present if we consider the large number of pieces that the excavations were bringing to light throughout Italy and Greece from the mid-eighteenth century, in addition to the collections that had been formed over the centuries. Classical art was already highly admired since the Renaissance, but now it was not only admiration that encouraged artists, but also scientific, systematic and rational study of the models of past times. The writings of Johann Joachim Winckelmann elevated Greek sculpture to the supreme aesthetic ideal and this very important art history theorist called all artists to mimesis of him, restoring an idealistic art. The classic is imitated. Elegance and serenity prevail, that is, moderation in expressions and feelings. The sculptures are austere and cold. The correct poses and measurements. The great bombastic and violent movements are not interesting, nor are the foreshortenings or the diagonal compositional forms. Frontality, order, symmetry or the purest forms predominate. His followers will move away from a sculpture full of life as the Renaissance had been, due to the prejudice of considering the classic as an insurmountable ideal that had to be copied to the letter. And, indeed, there was hardly anything else but a mechanical copy of antiquity. In reality, in that sculpture nothing else interested but purely formal beauty, where any sign of spirit is absent. As for the theme, they are also inspired by the prevailing arguments during antiquity. They mainly took the stories of classical mythology. Allegories on civic virtues were also recurrent, and they came to fill the reliefs of the most important public buildings of the time. But art for art's sake, for its mere enjoyment or study, was absolutely essential according to the rigorous neoclassical theories. These copies of classical art were very common due to the proliferation of excavations, as well as the painters who went to these sites in order to draw the new archaeological discoveries. It,s one of a kind piece, an opportunity for an exigent art collector. Dimensions: 32 x 25 x 25cm Head dimensions: 25 x 25 x 25 cm Base dimensions: 18 x 8 x 18 cm.

Dimensions:

Height: 12.6 in (32 cm)Width: 9.85 in (25 cm)Depth: 9.85 in (25 cm)

Style:

Neoclassical (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Bronze,Marble,Hand-Crafted

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1860-1869

Date of Manufacture:

1860