Neoclassical Sculptures
NEOCLASSICAL STYLE
Neoclassical design emerged in Europe in the 1750s, as the Age of Enlightenment reached full flower. Neoclassical furniture took its cues from the styles of ancient Rome and Athens: symmetrical, ordered, dignified forms with such details as tapered and fluted chair and table legs, backrest finials and scrolled arms.
Over a period of some 20 years, first in France and later in Britain, neoclassical design — also known as Louis XVI, or Louis Seize — would supersede the lithe and curvaceous Rococo or Louis XV style.
The first half of the 18th century had seen a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. The "Grand Tour" of Europe, codified as a part of the proper education of a patrician gentleman, included an extended visit to Rome. Some ventured further, to sketch the ruins of ancient Greece. These drawings and others — particularly those derived from the surprising and rich archaeological discoveries in the 1730s and ’40s at the sites of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum — caused great excitement among intellectuals and aesthetes alike.
Neoclassical furniture is meant to reflect both grace and power. The overall appearance of neoclassical chairs, tables and cabinetry is strong and rectilinear. These pieces are, in effect, classical architecture in miniature: chair and table legs are shaped like columns; cabinets are constructed with elements that mirror friezes and pediments.
Yet neoclassicism is enlivened by gilt and silver leaf, marquetry, and carved and applied ornamental motifs based on Greek and Roman sculpture: acanthus leaves, garlands, laurel wreaths, sheaves of arrow, medallions and chair splats are carved in the shapes of lyres and urns. Ormolu — or elaborate bronze gilding — was essential to French design in the 18th and 19th centuries as a cornerstone of the neoclassical and Empire styles.
As you can see from the furniture on these pages, there is a bit of whimsy in such stately pieces — a touch of lightness that will always keep neoclassicism fresh.
Find antique neoclassical furniture today on 1stDibs.
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Style: Neoclassical
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
Black basalt figure of Bacchus. Wedgwood C1780.
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Exceptionally rare early figure of Bacchus in black basalt. The mixed-case mark places this figure between 1780 and 1785.
He is portrayed in typical style, his head garlanded with grapes and with a wine cup to his lips.
Bacchus, also known as Dionysus in Greek mythology, is the enigmatic god of wine, fertility, and ritual madness. He symbolizes freedom, ecstasy, and the blurring of societal norms through his rituals and festivities. Bacchus is often depicted in myths as a deity who challenges the status quo, promoting an atmosphere where conventional rules do not apply, and his followers are liberated from their everyday constraints.
Born from Zeus and the mortal Semele, Bacchus is unique among gods, bridging the divide between the divine and the human. His followers included the wild and ecstatic maenads, female devotees who often reached states of divine frenzy, and the satyrs, mischievous half-man, half-goat beings. The worship of Bacchus was marked by theatrical processions, dances, and plays, reflecting his patronage of the theater and the dramatic arts.
Bacchus’s mythology...
Category
1780s English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
Neoclassical Marble Statue
Located in New Orleans, LA
Romanesque sculpture is bold, dignified and gets our attention. This Neo-classic form is all that and more. This is a large female figure with a gentle S curve. Her tunic has beautif...
Category
17th Century Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Concrete, Marble
18th Century Italian Carved Giltwood and Polychrome Musician Cherub Sculpture
Located in Dallas, TX
This antique cherub figure was crafted in Italy, circa 1780. The hand carved cherub depicts a putti with wing and playing the guitar; the sculpture is very expressive in his movement...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Giltwood
Late 18th / Early 19th Century Italian Giltwood Neoclassical Angel
Located in Buisson, FR
Very nice handcarved giltwood neoclassical angel,
Italy, circa 1780-1820.
Weathered, small losses
Measurements include the wooden base.
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Pair of 18th Century Italian Carved Giltwood Polychrome Cherub Sculptures
Located in Dallas, TX
These charming antique putti carvings were crafted in Italy, circa 1780. The hand carved figures depict two chubby cupids resting on a knee and holding a arm up; each sculpture featu...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Giltwood
Covered Sugar Box in Blue Jasperware. Adams C1790.
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A fine sugar box in 'Adams Blue' jasperware.
William Adams was apprenticed to Josiah Wedgwood, and helped with the development of jasperware. He later founded his own, very success...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
Antique Marble Bust of Venus
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
An antique over life-size bust of Venus. Thanks to her scale, this Neoclassical style handcarved marble sculpture of Venus, Roman goddess of love and beauty, is very striking. Charac...
Category
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Statuary Marble
Scent, or Perfume, Bottle, in Pale Blue Jasperware, Wedgwood C1790
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A scent bottle in pale blue jasperware, with original silver lid.
Decorated with Venus and Cupid, as allegories of Night - the one shedding poppies, the other drawing the veil of s...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
18th Century Neoclassical Bronze Doré Sculpture of Woman
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A masterful large classical statue in cast bronze of a beautiful young woman in stride wearing a flowing ionic chiton. The exquisite casting of ...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
18th Century Large Italian Marble Bust of Caesar Augustus
Located in Dublin 8, IE
18th Century Italian Marble Bust of Caesar Augustus. His draped robe is hand-carved in red rosso levanto marble with the face modelled in contrasting white Carrara marble. The piece ...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Carrara Marble
Small Rare Late 18th Century French Pewter Neoclassical Panel
Located in Buisson, FR
Gorgeous and beautiful weathered small pewter treasure. Great and rare pewter panel depicting a neoclassical scene.
France circa 1780
Weathered and small losses.
measurements include...
Category
18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Pewter
French Late 18th Century Neoclassical Grey Marble Angel Head
Located in Buisson, FR
Unique and wonderful hand carved grey marble angel head, France, circa 1780-1800. Beautiful weathered.
Measurement includes the wooden base.
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble
A Nun, perhaps a theatrical figure. England, probably Plymouth, circa 1750
By Plymouth Porcelain Factory 1
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
An interesting soft-paste porcelain figure of a Dominican Nun, perhaps the theatrical figure Heloise.
Although the Nun appears in various versions in European and English porcelain,...
Category
Mid-18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Basalt Portrait Medallion, Edward Bourne, Wedgwood, circa 1780
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Portrait Medallion of Edward Bourne, bricklayer at the Wedgwood factory. A bricklayer was kept on staff in order to maintain the kilns.
This was modelled by Hackwood as an excercise...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
Pair of Late 18th Century Italian Neoclassical Giltwood Fragments
Located in Dallas, TX
This pair of Italian giltwood ornaments are fragments from an original late 1700s Neoclassical architectural. They have been mounted more recently on painted black stands with metal ...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Metal
Callipygian Venus - Italian, 19th Century
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Callipygian Venus
19th Century
Italian (Naples or Rome)
White marble
After the Antique: Naples Archaeological Museum (IT)
Roman version of a Hellenistic 3rd Century B.C. model
Height: 62 cm
Width: 22 cm
H 24 1/2 x W 8 2/3 inch
The Callipygian Venus, also known as the Aphrodite Kallipygos or the Callipygian Venus, all literally meaning “Venus of the beautiful buttocks”, is an Ancient Roman marble statue...
Category
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Roman Carrara Marble Lioness
Located in Newport Beach, CA
Magnificent hand carved Carrara marble sculpture of a lioness head from Rome. Mounted on a metal base. Base 13.75"W x 12.25"D.
Category
1650s Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Carrara Marble, Metal
Pair Small Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Giltwood Mythical Figures
Located in Buisson, FR
Gorgeous pair small late 18th century neoclassical mythical figures.
france circa 1780.
Weathered and old repair
Measurements are individual and include the wooden base.
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Antique Marble Statue of the Sleeping Ariadne
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
This late Georgian antique marble statue is after the antique, depicting a scale fragment of the eminent 2nd century statue ‘Sleeping Ariadne’. C...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Statuary Marble
Antique Carved Wooden Mould Ex. Tucker Collection
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A mounted antique carved wooden mould from the Tucker collection. This is one of many moulds we are selling from this vast collection assembled by British make-up artist, Christopher...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Steel
Pair of 18th Century Italian Putti Candles
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Nice pair of Italian carved wood Putti that hold candles. The base is 7" x 7". The wing spread is 12". From a beautiful home in Santa Barbara.
Category
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
Pair of 18th Century Italian Giltwood Fragment Garniture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ostrich egg is 5.5" w. No cracks or repairs.
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Ostrich Eggshell, Giltwood
Pair of 18th Century Italian Carved Figures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Not sure if paint is original. Finely carved and unusual. From a beautiful home in Santa Barbara.
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paint
18th Century Italian Saint
Located in Los Angeles, CA
From a beautiful home in Santa Barbara. Slight chipping in silver leaf on back side. Beautifully detailed.
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Silver Leaf
18th Century Italian Carved Figure
Located in Los Angeles, CA
From a beautiful home in Santa Barbara. Not sure if paint is original, but it is definitely old. Finely carved with a lot of character.
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paint
18th Century Italian Giltwood and Polychrome Saint
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In excellent condition considering age. Some losses and chips as expected with the age. From a beautiful home in Santa Barbara.
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Giltwood
Pair of 18th Century Italian Polychrome Candle Figures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautifully carved and painted. Nice patina. From a beautiful house in Santa Barbara. They do hold candles on a spike.
Category
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Giltwood, Paint
18th Century Italian Carved Figure
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In excellent condition considering his age. She is very beautiful. From a significant home in Santa Barbara. Base is 9.5" x 10".
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
18th Century Terracotta Bust of Girl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautifully detailed. Hand sculpted terracotta on original marble plinth.
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble
17th Century Italian Carving of Scholar
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Originally gilded. as notice some traces of gilt residue. From the collection of Verna Harrah. Harra's Casinos.
Category
Early 17th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Basalt Portrait Medallion, William of Orange, Wedgwood, circa 1785
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A self-framing portrait medallion of William of Orange. The mixed-vase mark dates this example firmly in the 1780s. Wedgwood produced a number of co...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
18th Century Italian Carved Wood Sculptures, a Pair
Located in Bradenton, FL
Beautiful pair of antique carved figurines. Italian, circa 1780, the tall sculptures depict two men, probably soldiers, in flowing robes with one arm out stretched.
The elegant fig...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Pair of Black Basalt Reclining Figures, Cleopatra and Lucretia, Neale circa 1780
By Neale & Co.
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A fine, rare pair of figures in black basalt from the Neale Manufactory. The Neale pottery was founded in 1778 and ran until around 1792. They made very fine wares, and were on good terms with Wedgwood, with whom they combined shipments to the continent.
For two similar figures marked for Neale & Co. see Diana Edwards, Black Basalt, Wedgwood and Contemporary Manufacturers, Suffolk, 1994, p. 208, figs. 313 & 314.
Cleopatra and Lucretia are two women from different time periods and historical contexts, but are linked by their importance in Roman history, as well as by their tragic ends.
Cleopatra was a famous queen of ancient Egypt, who ruled from 51-30 BC. She was the last pharaoh of Egypt and is remembered for her intelligence, beauty, and political savvy. Cleopatra was involved in a romantic relationship with the Roman general and statesman, Julius Caesar, and later with the Roman general and politician, Mark Antony...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
Figure of a Nun, Perhaps Heloise, Bow Porcelain Factory, circa 1750
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A classic example of early bow porcelain.
The figure is of a Dominican Nun, and is based on a continental model, probably Meissen.
Bow produced a number of apparently religious...
Category
Mid-18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Lions. Bow Porcelain C1750
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
An attractive pair of lions, in the white; possibly based on a Chinese original.
Category
Mid-18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Carved Giltwood Architectural Winged Fragments with Serpent Tails, circa
Located in Elkhart, IN
A stunning and rare pair of antique architectural fragments with wings and serpents' tails
French or Italian, circa late 18th century...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Steel
Important Terracotta Bust of "Marianne", French Revolution, 1794
Located in Doylestown, PA
A historically important and early terracotta bust of "Marianne" the French symbol of the French Revolution, by an unknown sculptor named "Gensoul", depicting the young woman in a draped robe with bow and her hair tied-up with a band. This depiction of Marianne is similar to that of the portrait done earlier by artist Jean-Michel Moreau...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Bust of Sir Isaac Newton, Pearlware, Ralph & Enoch Wood, circa 1790
By Ralph Wood Pottery
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A pearlware bust of Sir Isaac Newton, by Enoch Wood. The oak pedestal adds dignity to an attractive rendering of this great man of science. A handwrit...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Pearlware
Seal, I Still Hope, Derby Porcelain Works, circa 1760
By Derby
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A delightul porcelain seal, depicting a young lady, seated on a mound. It is painted with the motto J'ESPRE ENCORE, or I Still Hope. No doubt this was intended as a gift, to be given...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Golden Angel Head
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
Rare golden angel head, to hang: in the entrance as a welcome, in the bedroom for sweet dreams. Intact, without any retouching.
Category
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Late 18th Century Sandstone Bust in Classical Greco-Roman Dress
Located in Dublin 8, IE
Late 18th century neo-classical style hand-carved sandstone bust of a lady in classical Greco-Roman dress. Possibly a depiction of Daphne who was a Naiad n...
Category
Late 18th Century European Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Sandstone
18th Century French Louis XVI Plaster Bust Portrait of Nicolas de Condorcet
Located in Dallas, TX
An 18th French plaster bust of a young aristocrat with a charming gaze and a wonderful old patina.
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Plaster
18th Century Italian Carved Polychrome Life Size Putti on Stand with Glass Eyes
Located in Dallas, TX
Hand crafted in Italy circa 1780, the antique cherub stands on a square base decorated with shell and foliage motifs. The hand carved sculpture depicts a life size young boy wearing ...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Scent, or Perfume, Bottle, in Pale Blue Jasperware, Wedgwood C1790
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A scent bottle in pale blue jasperware, with original silver CAP and dipper.
Decorated with Cupid playing the lyre, and Cupid singing. The God of Love suggests this was intended a...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
Scent, or Perfume, Bottle, in Pale Blue Jasperware, Wedgwood C1790
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A scent bottle in pale blue jasperware, with original silver cap with chain, surmounted by a wonderfully wrought squirrel.
Note the way the beads have been added individually; this ...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
Pair of carved and lacquered angels from 1700s Italy
Located in Cesena, FC
Carved and lacquered angels from the 1700s.
Angels all original, never restored.
Wood carvings in the round, carved, lacquered and gilded with "Mecca" technique.
The lacquered com...
Category
Early 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Wood
George III Blue John Panther
Located in New Orleans, LA
One of the only known sculptures rendered in Blue John to exist in the world, this extraordinary George III panther exemplifies Georgian sophistication. Georgian — and later Regency — aesthetics revived classical themes of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. With a proud stance, gaping jaw and unyielding gaze, the stately panther closely resembles the grand ancient Roman panthers often carved from marble as trapezophoros table supports. The regal cat rests atop a plinth, also made of Blue John, with Siena and Ashford marble detailing.
The intrinsic and richly hued mineral inclusions of the Blue John replicate the textures and colors of the animal’s fur. The rare stone is a variety of natural calcium fluorite found exclusively in Derbyshire, England. It was first discovered in the early 18th century, but its mining did not being until circa 1760. Blue John was a wildly popular material in the decorative arts during the Georgian and Regency...
Category
18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Siena Marble
17th Century Iron Dog Collar, Museum Mounted
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
17th century iron dog collar, museum mounted on rectangular giltwood base. With two rows of neoclassic ironwork. The 6" x 2.25" W collar is removable...
Category
17th Century European Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Iron
Joseph Charles Marin
By Joseph Charles Marin
Located in New York, NY
Cupid Holding a Bow
by French Sculptor Joseph-Charles Marin (1759-1834)
White Marble, signed and dated 1784
Provenance: Carl Singer, from the Estate of Charles Hitchcock Tyler, Beverly MA...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Winter, from the Four Seasons, Bow Porcelain Factory, circa 1750
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A personification of Winter, from The Four Seasons.
Unusually fine condition for a figure of this period.
Category
Mid-18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Porcelain
Set of Three Italian Early 18th Century Neoclassical Period Terracotta Statues
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A beautiful and complete set of three Italian early 18th century neo-classical period terra cotta statues of maidens signed C PIERI. Each wonderfully executed statue is raised by a c...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Basalt Portrait Medallion, Oliver Cromwell, Wedgwood, circa 1775
By Wedgwood
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
A self-framing portrait medallion of Oliver Cromwell, MP: rebel, regicide, suppressor of Ireland, persecutor of Catholics, and Dictator. He was posthum...
Category
Late 18th Century English Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Stoneware
18th Century French Stone Sundial
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A impressive late 18th century French sandstone sundial mounted on a custom lade iron stand. The Latin numerals finely carved at both sides an...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Sandstone
Pair of Children, Polychromed Pine Wood, Spain, 18th Century and Later
Located in Madrid, ES
Couple of children. Polychrome pine wood, Century XVIII.
Pair of polychrome pine wood carvings that represent two children in an attitude of playing a musical wind instrument, both seated, with their hands towards their faces, and slightly raising one leg to add some movement to a posture that, otherwise, it would be perhaps too static. Due to their postures and attitudes, they would be part of a large and quality altarpiece, judging by the size, the details, the hair, the proportions, etc., elements in which the musical angels were not something strange. Note that those present do not have wings, calling themselves in these cases "putti" and being, in the same way, figures of habitual presence in religious environments despite having emerged from Renaissance classicism and its sources from Antiquity. The proportions of the sizes, the anatomy, the symmetry, the certain plasticism of the hair, etc. are elements that speak of an influence of Neoclassicism in these sculptures. Likewise, a certain resemblance to works from the 18th century of the Castilian school can be appreciated."
Size: 22 x 42 x 85 cms / c/peanas 37 x 37 x 180 cm. Weight is merely orientative. Bases and wooden instruments...
Category
18th Century Spanish Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Other
18th Century Frame with a Marble Profile Portraits Vespesian Roman Emperor
Located in Firenze, IT
SHIPPING POLICY:
No additional costs will be added to this order.
Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included).
In terracotta with black marble medallion centered by a white marble profile...
Category
1780s Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble
18th Century French Marble Sculpture Bust of Dancer Marie-Madeleine Guimard
Located in Madrid, ES
This expressive 18th century marble portrait bust is of Marie-Madeleine Guimard (1743-1816), a successful dancer and one of the most famous courtesans of pre-Revolutionary France. The bust is unsigned, but identical to one in the collection of London's V&A museum carved...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Antique French Creamware Lions 18th Century
Located in Katonah, NY
We are thrilled to offer this exceptional pair of creamware lions, each elegantly resting on a tall base adorned with sumptuous swags of dark blue "curtains" with gleaming yellow tassels and trim.
Crafted in France, these figures are unparalleled and truly a masterpiece of 18th-century creamware.
They date back to the late 18th century, circa 1790. Each lion's head and mane is exquisitely painted with vibrant yellow and lined in striking midnight brown. Their mouths are painted in delicate pink, adding an extra touch of charm.
Not only are these lions a sight to behold, but they will also bring a touch of humor to your home. Their jovial expressions make it impossible not to laugh along with them.
Leisurely resting on cushions draped with rich fabric and tassels, these friendly lions exude a very French attitude, seamlessly blending formality and friendliness.
Placed on a mantel, they would undoubtedly be the focal point of any room, commanding attention, and admiration from all who see them. These lions are genuinely a one-of-a-kind treasure that is not to be missed.
Dimensions: 6.5 inches tall x 6.75 inches long x 4.5 inches wide
Condition: Excellent
Price: $3200
Background of creamware
Creamware is the name given to a type of earthenware pottery initially made from white clays from Dorset and Devonshire combined with an amount of calcined flint.
Creamware was first produced in England sometime before 1740. Foremost of the pioneers of creamware in the Staffordshire Potteries was Thomas Whieldon. The young Josiah Wedgwood partnered with Thomas Whieldon from 1754-1759. When Wedgwood left to set up his own business, he immediately directed his efforts to developing creamware.
Around the same time, in the mid-18th century, French potters developed their creamware known in France as "Faience Fine...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Creamware
18th Century, Italian Bronze Sculpture with Venus Removing Her Sandal
Located in IT
18th Century, Italian Bronze Sculpture with Venus Removing Her Sandal
This bronze sculpture represents Venus as she takes off her sandal. Made in the neoclassical era in Italy, it consists of the bronze sculpture of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, Venus for the Romans. The naked goddess, getting ready for the bath, makes the very human gesture of loosing a sandal.
The left arm is raised, as if to compensate the position while maintaining the balance. Next to her, wrapped around a rocky spur, is a dolphin, an animal iconographically linked to the goddess because of his birth from the foam of the sea. The figure rests on a cylindrical and concave bronze base, with finely chiselled reserves. The bronze element is in turn resting on a africano marble cylinder with black of Belgium marble base.
Venus is one of the major Roman goddesses primarily associated with eros and beauty. It is traditionally understood as the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, physical and passionate love, among the major deities of Olympus. His birth is due to a dramatic event: Uranus, Heaven, is mutilated by his son Cronus, who punishes him for the wrongs inflicted on his mother. The torn limbs of Uranus fall into the sea and fertilize the foam of the waves of the island of Cyprus. From the waves emerges in all its splendor Aphrodite. Since the 4th century, Aphrodite begins to be represented with characters more human and less heroic. Praxiteles with the 'Aphrodite Cnidia,' for the first time in the history of sculpture, depicts her naked, as she prepares to take a ritual bath.
From the Pressitele’s model descend the Capitoline Venus (Capitoline Museums of Rome) and the Venus de’ Medici (Uffizi Museum of Florence) accompanied by Eros on the back of a dolphin.
This vein also includes a subject frequently attested in the Hellenistic and then Roman Ages, with examples in bronze, marble and terracotta: the Aphrodite who fastens the sandal.
The luck that this type of representation had in the following centuries is demonstrated by the vast number of sculptures that represent it. In this bronze work the goddess resumes the position of Oplontis’s Naked Venus: here Venus holds an apple in her left hand, a reminder of her victory in the beauty contest in which she prevailed over Minerva and Juno by judgment of Paris. In our bronze instead, the hand seems to want to shake the apple, which however has not been molded. Perhaps the bronze is inspired by another work, such as the bronzes kept in the archaeological museum of Padua. Another example is the famous 'Venus in bikini" found in Pompeii, so-called because it depicts the goddess in the same pose, but with the breasts and hips covered by bands painted in gold.
The dolphin depicted next to it could be inspired instead to the Medici Venus...
Category
Late 18th Century Italian Antique Neoclassical Sculptures
Materials
Marble, Belgian Black Marble, Bronze
Neoclassical sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Neoclassical sculptures for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage sculptures created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include decorative objects, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with metal, bronze and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Neoclassical sculptures made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Germany pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original sculptures, popular names associated with this style include Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Paul Edouard Delabriere, Ernest Rancoulet, and Friedrich Gornik. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for sculptures differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $320 and tops out at $8,500 while the average work can sell for $825.
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