English Figurative Sculptures

An almost 4.5ft tall Plaster Fidelity Statue from the English Regency/ Victorian period. Good form and scale with some Historic restoration over the years, however as seen in the ima...

A well-cast early 19th Century bronze Model of crouching Venus kneeling on shell supported on Sienna marble base.

From the 1700s through the early 1800s, European aristocrats developed a fascination with ancient Egyptian culture and design that culminated in a full Egyptian Revival. Prominent figures such as Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned rooms decorated with Egyptian motifs. This cultural moment reflects a fascination with a sophisticated civilization of great artists and pharaohs. The Regency era possessed very little knowledge of the Great Pyramids or hieroglyphics, a quality that lent Egyptian art interpretation a compelling air of mystique. This English Regency period gilt carving depicts a popular figure of borrowed Egyptian motif: the Sphinx. Recognized among educated circles as a symbol of brilliance in the ancient past, the Sphinx was well-known as a mythological creature who destroys those who failed to answer her riddle. Such a piece as this, excellent in detail and craftsmanship, may have once graced the mantle of a gentleman’s study or been exchanged as a gift between British scholars. The beautiful gold surface has been achieved by an artful combination of gilt and gesso; the art enthusiast will appreciate the intricate texture realized in the carving’s hair and tail as well as the delicate detailing of the saddle. Borrowing from the Egyptians, the Greeks had their own interpretation of the Sphinx. Greek mythology chronicled the Sphinx as being the daughter of Orthous and Chimera or Laius and attributed the riddles, which she proposed, as having been taught to her by the Muses. Crowned with a Grecian diadem and having a refined expression, she evokes an ancient yet reserved intellect. For the modern-day enthusiast of classical Greek art...

Massive Staffordshire Pearlware Pottery Figure of Venus, circa 1810 The extremely large figure depicts Venus, Aphrodite of the Classical Greek legend. This model is of great rarity. Venus, is superbly painted, depicted in purple robes with green edging as she rise from the foam of the sea The condition is excellent. Only one other example is known- see below. Dimensions: 24 1/4 inches high x 8 1/2 inches wide x 8 inches deep See: Myrna Schkolne, Staffordshire Figures 1780-1840, Family, Friendship, Play, & Classical Subjects, Vol 4, Page 186, Figure 194.37 from the Collection of Arnold and Barbara Berlin, although this example is plainly decorated with a white dress with scattered flowers and a Greek Key border to the plain base. History of Venus Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. She is the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Venus was born from the foam of the sea after Uranus, the sky god, was castrated by his son Cronus. She was carried to the island of Cythera by seashells and then to Mount Olympus, where she became the wife of Vulcan, the god of fire. Venus in Art Venus has been a popular subject for artists since ancient times. She is often depicted as a beautiful woman, nude or partially clothed, and is often accompanied by symbols of love and beauty, such as doves, roses, and apples. Some of the most famous depictions of Venus include the Venus de Milo, a marble sculpture from the 2nd century BCE, and the Venus of Urbino...

Thomas Messenger and Sons 'Atlas' Sculpture Silvered Bronze Lamp Base, England circa 1835. English William IV period, bronze table lamp by the Birmin...

Rare Bronze Glazed Staffordshire Pottery Male Nude Figure of a Triton made by Wood and Caldwell after a bronze by John Flaxman 1755-1826, first quarter of the Nineteenth Century....

English Regency framed, fine gilt, repousse, copper figure of an exotic actor. Circa 1820. In the manner of a carriage decoration. Finely chiseled repo...

Pair of English Regency neoclassical patinated and gilt bronze figures.

Coade stone otherwise known as "Lithodipyra," was used for Fine architectural detailing and garden ornaments in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and produced by appointment to ...