Lot Essay
This bronze figure of Venus also know as the 'Bergere Grecque' or 'Venus aux Belles fesses' is based on a Hellenistic marble statue preserved at the Museo Nazionale, Naples, which was extensively copied in all media in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Its title refers to a popular story told by the 3rd-century author Athenaeus in which two peasant's daughters settled a dispute concerning who of the two had the more shapely buttocks by accosting a young bypasser and inviting him to judge. His choice was his reward, and his brother won the other sister. Upon their prosperous weddings, the sisters dedicated a temple to Venus Callipygos at Syracuse.
The ormolu base of the statue reminiscent of a temple may be a reference to the Syracuse temple. It has been associated with the work of the ciseleur-doreur Claude Galle who worked for the Garde-Meuble under the direction of Jean Haur in the late 1780s.
Its title refers to a popular story told by the 3rd-century author Athenaeus in which two peasant's daughters settled a dispute concerning who of the two had the more shapely buttocks by accosting a young bypasser and inviting him to judge. His choice was his reward, and his brother won the other sister. Upon their prosperous weddings, the sisters dedicated a temple to Venus Callipygos at Syracuse.
The ormolu base of the statue reminiscent of a temple may be a reference to the Syracuse temple. It has been associated with the work of the ciseleur-doreur Claude Galle who worked for the Garde-Meuble under the direction of Jean Haur in the late 1780s.