Object Description
A white statuary marble sculpture of the bathing Venus after the antique, sourced from the estate of the late David Cornwell, best known at the author John le Carré.
Dating to circa 1840, this Italian sculpture of Venus is mounted onto a custom modern stand in a fragmentary form. A striking Roman sculpture evoking evocative hand-carved elements, from her hair to her drape.
An elegant segment of history made for any period home looking to appreciate 16th century history.
The Bathing Venus
The original antique of the bathing Venus was cast in bronze by 16th century sculptor Giambologna. Dating to circa 1573, the pose invites its spectators to walk around it to observe all aspects.
Giambologna invented the composition called figure serpentinata, in which a body ‘twists like flames’ so it can be appreciated from all angles.
It is thought to be a masterful interpretation of the serpentine figure typical of Mannerism, skilfully mastered by Giambologna in this work and many others.
Provenance
This impressive sculpture was once part of the estate of British author David Cornwell, best known as John le Carré, famous for his espionage novels, many of which were adapted for film and TV, such as A Perfect Spy.
The novels focused on people’s lives in the corrupt setting of the Cold War era and beyond. His books are known for being the first to raise respect for the spy genre. His first big novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold debuted in 1963.
When David died at the age of 89, he left a large part of his archive of personal papers, letters and manuscripts to the Bodleian library in Oxford.
Additional dimensions
Socle 27cm (10.63in)