19th Century Grand Tour Bronze Figure of Diana

A 19th century Grand Tour bronze statue of Narcissus. Foundry mark Sommer Napoli engraved on circular plinth. Includes original Victorian er...

An interesting late 18th century elm Windsor chair. Interesting and rare continuous bentwood hoop back construction.

An elegant French Grand Tour bronze figure of the Greek Goddess Diana by Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercié, French 1845 - 1916, dating from Circa 1880. The seated and robed Goddess Diana is holding a bow and arrows with her head downcast and raised on a circular plinth. Diana was originally considered to be a goddess of the wilderness and of the hunt, a central sport in both Roman and Greek culture. Early Roman inscriptions to Diana celebrated her primarily as a huntress and patron of hunters. Add a beautiful classical element to your home with this delightful bronze. Condition: In excellent condition with no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 41 x Width 29 x Depth 19 Dimensions in inches: Height 1 foot, 4 inches x Width 11 inches x Depth 7 inches Mercié entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and studied under Alexandre Falguière and François Jouffroy, and in 1868 gained the Grand Prix de Rome at the age of 23. His first great popular successes were the David and Gloria Victis, which was shown and received the Medal of Honour of the Paris Salon. The bronze was subsequently placed in the Square Montholon. The bronze David...

This grand tour bronze sculpture depicts the version of Venus so important to the history of art and literature in the U.S. that the original was temporarily loaned to the National Gallery of Art from the Capital Museums in Rome in 2011. Mark Twain visited Rome and upon his return home in 1867 he published "The Capitoline Venus" and he described the work as the “most illustrious work of ancient art the world can boast of". (with credit to the National Gallery of Art catalog...