A RECTANGULAR BRONZE RELIEF OF VENUS AND ADONIS

ATTRIBUTED TO MATTHUS DONNER (C. 1704-1756), CIRCA 1740

细节

A RECTANGULAR BRONZE RELIEF OF VENUS AND ADONIS
Attributed to Matthus Donner (c. 1704-1756), circa 1740
Adonis depicted taking leave of Venus in a landscape, with Cupid at left, asleep; with the monogram 'GRD' on Cupid's quiver; in an elaborately carved gilt-wood frame; the reverse with four paper labels, two inscribed '23 (?) 45' and 'KKu (?) 725', respectively, the other two labels from the sterreichische Galerie with descriptions and inventory numbers '4261'.
Dark brown patina with medium brown high points; very minor casting flaws; minor chips to frame.
18 x 12 in. (46.3 x 31.8 cm.)

来源

The Barons Cederstrm, Sweden
Nathaniel Rothschild by 1903, when it appears under number 301 in the inventory of his collection, attributed to Georg Raphael Donner, and thence by descent.
Rothschild inv. no. AR364.

出版

1903 Theresianumgasse Inventory, p. 121, no. 301.
E. Baum, Katolog des esterreichischen Barockmuseums im unteren Belvedere in Wien, Munich, 1980, pp. 141-144, nos. 71-73.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
K. Blauensteiner, Georg Raphael Donner, Vienna, 1947, figs. 33 and 34.

展览

Vienna, sterreichischen Barockmuseums im Unteren Belvedere, inv. no. 4261, 1948-1999

拍品专文

Although this relief bears the monogram of the celebrated Austrian sculptor Georg Raphael Donner, it has been attributed to his younger brother Matthus, who was also an accomplished sculptor. The reason for the monogram is that with this relief Matthus is paying homage to the work of his brother. The composition of the Venus and Adonis is closely related to the Judgement of Paris executed by Georg Raphael in circa 1730-32 (illustrated in Blauenstein, op. cit., fig. 33). Although simplified, the Venus and Adonis makes use of a figural group set in a landscape with a classical urn to the left and architecture to the right, just as one sees with the Judgement of Paris. In addition, the pose of Juno in the Judgement relief has been used again by Matthus, although here it has been transposed onto the figure of the departing Adonis. However, as Baum, loc. cit., points out in the entry for this piece in the sterreichischen Barockmuseum catalogue, stylistic elements, including the bulkier proportions of the figures, are more typical of the work of Matthus Donner.