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Late 19th Century Italian Wood Mannequin, circa 1880
$14,298.40
£10,540.44
€12,000
CA$19,575.89
A$21,711.12
CHF 11,401.61
MX$266,627.93
NOK 144,333.60
SEK 136,108.52
DKK 91,323.86
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About the Item
Atelier mannequin
graven and carved stone pine wood
Italy, late 19th century
Measures: H 102 cm x 25 cm x 14 cm
H 40.15 in x 9.84 in x 5.51 in
Weight: circa kg 4
State of conservation: good. Small gaps in the ears and behind the right knee. A slit on the nape shows an ancient integration.
The mannequin is sculpted in a realistic manner, with the well-shaped torso musculature and harmoniously shaped limbs. The feet are accurately rendered and the hands are graceful: both are finished with well-defined nails. The face is set in a serious expression, mitigated by the softness of the mouth.
The surface of the wood is soft and "in patina".
The verb "mannequiner" (from which the English word “mannequin” comes) appeared for the first time in 18th century France and is used to describe the act of skillfully draping cloth over a mannequin with a natural effect (MUNRO, J., Silent Partners: Artist and Mannequin from Function to Fetish, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, October 14, 2014 - January 25, 2015, exhibition catalogue, p. 28).
“... The articulated human figure made of wax or wood was a common tool in artistic practice in Europe from the 16th century. Its indefatigable limbs and silent compliance enabled the artist to study anatomical proportion, fix a pose at will and perfect the depiction of drapery and clothing. In the course of the 19th century, however, the mannequin (or “lay figure” in English) gradually emerged from the studio to become a subject in its own right, at first humorously, then in more troubling ways, playing on the unnerving psychological presence of a figure that was realistic, yet unreal, lifelike, yet lifeless.
Despite the plethora of human effigies and avatars, both virtual and real, that inhabit our 21st century existence, the mannequin continues to fascinate and disturb, an empty vessel for our fears and fantasies ... ” (MUNRO, Jane, op. cit., introduction to the exhibition catalogue).
“As a tool in the artist’s arsenal, however, mannequins were hidden from view and rarely, if ever, included in representations of the artist’s studio – their presence hinting at the laborious act of painting and diminishing the perception of the artist as inspired genius …” (MUNRO, Jane, op. cit., p. 2).
- Dimensions:Height: 40.16 in (102 cm)Width: 9.85 in (25 cm)Depth: 5.52 in (14 cm)
- Style:Other (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1880
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Small gaps in the ears and behind the right knee. A slit on the nape shows an ancient integration.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4352216817682
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Located in Milano, IT
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Italy, late 16th century
It measures 13.8 x 31.5 x 18.9 in (35 x 80 x 48 cm)
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This work has some morphological characteristics typically associated with the iconography of the sea monster: an elongated muzzle, sharp teeth, protruding eyes, elongated ears, and a coiled serpent's tail.
An in-depth series of studies on artistic depictions of the sea monster attempted to verify how this symbol evolved in antiquity in the European and Mediterranean contexts and how it gradually changed its image and function over time. The iconography itself is mutable and imaginative and its history is rich with cultural and artistic exchange, as well as the overlapping of ideas. This occurred so much that it is difficult to accurately pinpoint the "types" that satisfactorily represent its various developments.
However, we can try to summarize the main figures, starting from the biblical Leviathan and the marine creature that swallowed Jonah (in the Christian version, this figure was to become a whale or a "big fish", the “ketos mega”, translation of the Hebrew “dag gadol”). Other specimens ranged from the dragons mentioned in the Iliad (which were winged and had legs) to "ketos” (also from Greek mythology), the terrifying being from whose Latinized name (“cetus”) derives the word "cetacean". See J. Boardman, “Very Like a Whale” - Classical Sea Monsters, in Monsters and Demons in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, in Papers presented in Honor of Edith Porada, Mainz am Rhein 1987, pp. 73-84).
In Italy the monster underwent yet further variations: it can be found in Etruscan art on the front of some sarcophagi representing the companion of souls, while among the Romans we find the “Pistrice” (cited by Plinio in Naturalis Historia PLIN., Nat., II 9, 8 and by Virgilio in Eneide: VERG., Aen., III, 427), which appeared in the shape of a stylized hippocampus or a very large monstrous cetacean and evolved into a hideous being with a dragon's head and long webbed fins.
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