Antonio Basoli (1774-1848)

Details

Antonio Basoli (1774-1848)

A Stove in Bronze or Iron with Vulcan in his Forge and Blacksmiths at an Anvil

signed, dated and inscribed 'A: Basoli Inv^to e fece 1845', 'stuffa da eseguirsi in bronzo o di ferro fuso di finissimo lavoro per uso di una Sala Principessa' and 'Sua Pianta'; black chalk, pen and brown ink, squared with pencil, on yellow paper
417 x 296mm.

Provenance

Stanza del Borgo, 1973

Literature

P. Fuhring, no. 420

Exhibited

Oberlin, The Allen Memorial Art Museum, A New World. Neo Classical Drawings from the Collection of Lodewijk Houthakker, 1986, no. 6

Lot Essay

As the inscription states the stove was designed to be executed either in bronze or iron. The design combines images of metalwork such as the blacksmith at the top with tools of the trade below with nautical ones like the sea-horses, protruding prows and Neptune's trident. The central scene may show Daedalus, an appropriate figure for a stove. A number of elements such as the acanthus decorations, ships prows and the sea-horses are inspired by the Antique