Fine Bronze Figure of a Roman Orator Probably Julius Cesar by Mathurin Moreau.

A large and impressive French Empire period gilt bronze mantel clock of exceptional quality and colour. French (possibly retailed in Italy) - Circa 1820. The finely chased and original gilt bronze case depicting Orpheus playing his lyre with an eight-day bell striking movement, outside countwheel, backplate initialled and numbered 'A C D 1516’. The dial with Roman numerals and inscribed Riccardo Pacinoti of Lavourne. It is a French movement (silk suspension) striking the hour and half hour. The case in the form of an oblong pillar cast with anthemium and cornucopia beneath a draped urn and a laurel wreath, flanked by the figure of Orpheus playing his lyre, the stepped plinth cast with wonderfully detailed underworld scenes, on leaf scroll feet. In excellent condition the clock case has been cleaned with the movement completely overhauled and serviced to the highest standard by a specialist restorer. In general 19th century French bronze clocks...

Wonderful pair of 19th Century Roman Emperor Portrait Busts Representing Marcus Aurelius and Caracalla in Terracotta with Bronze Heads. Italy Naples late 19th / early 20th Century. Life-size busts, the heads cast in bronze with the body of terracotta, modelled with vest without sleeves and toga thrown over one shoulder. Wonderful verdigris patination to the bronze and weathered to the terracotta. Very unusual to have a bronze head coupled with a terracotta body these highly imposing decorative busts are of excellent quality. Depicting the Roman Caesars...

Extremely fine marble group of Bacchus and Ariadne after the antique attributed to Carlo Albacini (1734 – 1813) Italy Rome circa 1800 Provenance A French Private Collection Carved in the round of white marble, the young couple shown walking and apparently exchanging words, his left arm gently wrapped around her shoulder, upholding part of her drapery, a wreath of fruit-bearing vines placed on his head, while hers shows no berries, from her right shoulder suspended a suggestive skin of a goat. In excellent condition having a restoration on Ariadne's left index finger. This finely carved sculptural group is one of a number of known examples of this subject, all inspired by a Greco-Roman classical original 1st and 2nd centuries A.D which is now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (inv.68.770). Demonstrating the beginning of Bacchus' courtship of Ariadne and illustrates the “Return to Antiquity” which was expressed in numerous archaeological works in Rome at the end of the 18th Century. The subject matter made it perfect for a wide variety of settings and fine copies of the subject which survive in such collections as the Rothschilds at Waddesdon Manor, the Pitti Palace in Florence, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique and the National Trust property Erddig in Wales. This marble is exemplary of neoclassical aesthetics, by its ancient origin and by the creativity of the sculptor who perfectly links these two figures in the manner of Antonio Canova's standing groups (see Daedalus and Icarus or Venus and Adonis). This marble represents a moment of tender complicity illustrating the ability of neoclassical sculptors to detach themselves from ancient rigour in order to introduce an ideal of softness into their works. These two figures are not simply next to each other, but marry through the fusion of their drapes, through the play of glances and through the embracing gesture of Bacchus. Of the surviving 18th and early 19th century examples of this group, the finest are signed by or attributed to the Italian master Carlo Albacini (1734-1813). Albacini was a restorer of ancient marbles who worked extensively on such aristocratic assemblages as the Charles Townley collection, later to form the basis of the fine sculpture collections at the British Museum, whilst also creating copies of these antique pieces for his elite clientele. Aside from Townley, one of the most interesting and important English collectors of this period was the Earl of Bristol who had a fine house in Naples, a London townhouse and his Suffolk family seat Ickworth which he intended to fill with exceptional examples of art of all kinds. Bristol was a great patron of Italian artists and a chimneypiece from his collection that was supplied for his Italian home and later fitted at Ickworth was sold at Sotheby's on the 26th of November 2003 lot 87. This exceptionally carved chimneypiece...

An Extremely Italian Rare Bronze Locking Vessel With Latin Inscription, Possibly with Maritime Associations. Italy circa 1780-1820 This very unusual bronze...

A handsome French 19th century patinated bronze statue of Augustus of Prima Porta. The statue is raised by a square marble base with cut corners. Augustus ...

Known as the ‘Augustus of Prima Porta,’ the original bronze version of this sculpture was created c. 20 BCE. That original has been lost since antiquity but is known today from a mar...

A bronze figure representing Demosthenes (384-322 BC), a Greek statesman and orator. The sculpture is based on a Roman copy of an original Greek statue. The chocolate-brown patina of...

A handsome and high quality Italian 19th century patinated bronze statue of Augustus of Prima Porta. The statue is raised by a circular base where the emperor stands proudly with his...