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Lot Essay
The present marble figure of Apollo represents the god playing his lyre and, like his more famous counterpart the Apollo Belvedere, with a snake writhing up from the base, a reference to the python which he slew. Apollo, who drove his chariot across the sky drawing the sun behind it, was a favourite symbol for the great patron of the arts Louis XIV, known to posterity as the Sun King and, as such, was often represented in French art of the period.
Formerly in the collection of the Dukes of Manchester at Kimbolton Castle, this marble may have been purchased by Charles Edward Montagu, the 1st Duke (d. 1722). Montagu was a Whig supporter of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and in 1699 was sent as ambassador to France, where it is possible that he purchased the Apollo.
Formerly in the collection of the Dukes of Manchester at Kimbolton Castle, this marble may have been purchased by Charles Edward Montagu, the 1st Duke (d. 1722). Montagu was a Whig supporter of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and in 1699 was sent as ambassador to France, where it is possible that he purchased the Apollo.