Psyche By Galleria Lapini

Object Description

Psyche By Galleria Lapini

Carved from statuary marble, the figure of winged Psyche gracefully leaping forward from a flowering bush, her arms stretched back as she gazes up. The octagonal plinth signed ‘Lapini Firenze.’
Italian, circa 1900

Classical inspiration, particularly scenes of the story of Psyche, were frequent choices for Lapini who excelled at graceful composition with highly refined detail. Other examples of Lapini’s portrayals of Psyche include Psyche and the Butterfly sold at Waddington’s, Toronto, 16 December 2017, lot 241 and Cupid & Psyche at Christie’s, New York, 13 October 2021, lot 20.

Object History

Cesare Lapini (1848-1893)

A celebrated sculptor of genre figures and groups, Cesare Lapini was born in Florence and enjoyed a successful career as a sculptor of busts and statues, especially of young women. Lapini exhibited six works at the Esposizione Generale Italiana in Turin in 1884, including ‘Sorpresa’, and exhibited in Rome in 1888. After his death, his successful workshop became the Galleria Lapini which was still operating in 1900, and exhibited an impressive number of statues at the Paris 1900 Exposition Universelle.

Object Literature

Comparative Literature:

Panzetta, Alfonso. Nuovo Dizionario Degli Scultori Italiani Dell’ottocento E Del Primo Novecento : Da Antonio Canova Ad Arturo Martini. Adarte 2003, p. 513.

Object Condition

Excellent condition

Object Details