Lorenzo Nottolini, Circa 1816
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Lorenzo Nottolini, Circa 1816

A vase of Mithridates, King of Pontus

Details
Lorenzo Nottolini, Circa 1816
A vase of Mithridates, King of Pontus
signed, dated and inscribed 'drawn from the original by Lorenzo Nottolini Engineer, Architect/at Rome in the month of May 1816' (lower right) and inscribed 'A Vase of Mithridates, King of Pontus for Lord Poyntz' (upper left)
pencil, unframed
30½ x 40½ in. (77.5 x 102.8 cm.)
Together with a further drawing of a cross section and details of the vase by the same hand, 30½ x 44 in. (77.5 x 111.8 cm.) (2)
Provenance
Presumably the "Lord" Poyntz to whom the artist refers is William Stephen Poyntz, father of Elizabeth Georgiana Poyntz, wife of Frederick, 4th Earl Spencer (1798-1857).
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. Please note Payments and Collections will be unavailable on Monday 12th July 2010 due to a major update to the Client Accounting IT system. For further details please call +44 (0) 20 7839 9060 or e-mail info@christies.com

Lot Essay

Mithridates IV, King of Pontus on the Black Sea, was a king of Persian origin, who claimed descent from King Darius the Great. Mithridates was one of Rome's most formidable and successful enemies. The bronze 'krater' urn depicted in these drawings dates from 163-120 BC, and was given to supporters in Greece early in his reign. During the First Mithradatic War this krater was plundered by Sulla and taken to Rome. Two hundred years later it was in the personal collection of Nero and was discovered in Nero's Villa in Anzio in the 18th century. It is now in the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
The Lucchese architect Lorenzo Nottolini (1787-1851) studied in Florence at the Accademia of Belle Arti, where he met Antonio Canova, and in Rome at the Accademia of San Luca. The time spent in Rome from 1817 onwards strongly influenced his style towards neo-classicism. His most celebrated works are the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and the Great Aqueduct in Lucca.

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