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19th Century Bronze Sculpture, Venus Callipyge, Grand Tour, Sommer Napoli

$2,015.59
£1,500.87
€1,700
CA$2,769.53
A$3,099.62
CHF 1,617.76
MX$37,799.38
NOK 20,705.17
SEK 19,600.09
DKK 12,940.61
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About the Item

A fine and rare Neapolitan Grand Tour bronze of the Venus Callipyge, after the original in National Archeological Museum of Naples. Signed Sommer, Napoli. An erotic bronze, the name 'Venus Callipyge' literally translates as Venus of the beautiful buttocks. This modelled and cast bronze stands on a round green marble base. The esteemed Neapolitan foundry of Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914) produced high-class bronzes and souvenirs of classical sculpture to sell to wealthy 'Grand Tourists' visiting the classical sites and sights of Italy and Europe. The Venus Callipyge, also known as the Aphrodite Kallipygos or the Callipygian Venus, all literally meaning "Venus (or Aphrodite) of the beautiful buttocks", is an Ancient Roman marble statue, thought to be a copy of an older Greek original. It is an example of anasyrma, which is the gesture of lifting the skirt or kilt. It is used in connection with certain religious rituals, eroticism, and lewd jokes. The term is used in describing corresponding works of art. Anasyrma may be a deliberately provocative self-exposing of one's naked genitals or buttocks. The famous example of the latter case is The Venus Callipyge. In other contexts, this gesture has an apotropaic character, that is, a means to ward off a supernatural enemy, or it may be a sign of mockery, analogous to mooning. The Callipygian Venus depicts a partially draped woman, raising her light body-length garment to uncover her hips and buttocks, and looking back and down over her shoulder, perhaps to evaluate them. Height is with base.
  • Creator:
    Fonderia Sommer Napoli (Maker)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11.82 in (30 cm)Diameter: 5.04 in (12.8 cm)
  • Style:
    Grand Tour (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Marble,Cast,Patinated
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    19th century
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Very nice condition with patina.
  • Seller Location:
    Stockholm, SE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1006844169982

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