A WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LADY WITH A SWAN
A WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LADY WITH A SWAN
A WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LADY WITH A SWAN
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A WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LADY WITH A SWAN
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Property from a New York Private Collection
A WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LADY WITH A SWAN

WORKSHOP OR AFTER ETIENNE MAURICE FALCONET, LATE 18TH CENTURY

Details
A WHITE MARBLE FIGURE OF A LADY WITH A SWAN
WORKSHOP OR AFTER ETIENNE MAURICE FALCONET, LATE 18TH CENTURY
13 ¾ in. (35 cm.) high, the figure
17 ½ in. (44.5 cm.) high, overall
Provenance
Sir William Hamilton, British Ambassador to Naples (1730-1803), c. 1780, by repute.
King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (1751-1825), Naples, by repute.
By descent, H.R.H. Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (1782-1866), his daughter, by repute.
King Louis Philippe I of France (1773-1850), by repute.
By descent, Henri d'Orléans, Duc D'Aumale (1822-1897), Château de Chantilly, Chantilly, by repute.
Charles Louis de Rohan-Chabot, Duc de Rohan (1844-1914), Château de Josselin, Brittany, by repute.
Charles Gabriel-Henri, Duc de Rohan, Château de Condé, Condé-sur-Itou (Eure).
His sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 20-21 March 1953, lot 281, as La baigneuse au cygne.
Private collection, Mid-west United States.
Their sale; Christie's, New York, 7 June 2011, lot 307.
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner.

Brought to you by

Taylor Alessio
Taylor Alessio Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

Lot Essay

This graceful marble, emblematic of late 18th century France, closely relates to several of Falconet's well-known models. One, La Douce Mélancolique, depicts a similarly lightly clad maiden standing alongside a column and cradling a dove seated on the column's top. This model was conceived in plaster as early as 1761 but the marble version -- destined for the famous collector de Lalive de Jully -- was exhibited in 1765. Another variation, L'Innocence couronnant l'Amour, known only through a Sèvres biscuit reduction and formerly in the Wildenstein Collection, has a pair of doves being crowned with a wreath of roses (see L. Réau, Etienne-Maurice Falconet, vol. I, Paris, 1922, pp. 224-225). However, the present model has substituted a more nature-inspired tree trunk for the columns found in the other Falconet versions.

The illustrious early provenance of the present lot, which was supplied by the 1953 sale catalogue, appears entirely plausible though it is not substantiated by known inventories. Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803), the British Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, was one of the greatest connoisseurs of the 18th century. His collection of both Antique and contemporary sculpture and works of art was legendary. As a resident of Naples for 36 years, he was a close friend and supporter of King Ferdinand IV.

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