NORTH ITALIAN, THE RELIEFS AFTER THE ANTIQUE, LATE 15TH OR EARLY 16TH CENTURY

細節

A BRONZE TRIPARTITE INKWELL
NORTH ITALIAN, THE RELIEFS AFTER THE ANTIQUE, LATE 15TH OR EARLY 16TH CENTURY
Decorated in relief with three ecstatic bacchic figures; on three lion's paw feet; the underside with a further circular relief of a half-length winged female figure and inscribed in red with the inventory number '251'; medium brown patina
3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm.) high

來源

Purchased by Alfred Beit (1853-1906) by 1904.
Thence by descent to Lady (Clementine) Beit (1915-2005) by whom donated to the Alfred Beit Foundation in 2005.

出版

W. Bode, The Art Collection of Mr. Alfred Beit at His Residence 26 Park Lane London, Berlin, 1904, as 'Paduan, circa 1500'.
W. Bode, Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures and Bronzes in the Possession of Mr. Otto Beit, London, 1913, p. 112, no. 251, as 'Unknown Paduan artist'.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
E. Molinier, Les Plaquettes, Paris, 1886, pp. 14-15, nos. 25-28.
W. Bode, Königliche Museen zu Berlin - Die Italienische Bronzen, Berlin, 1904, no. 392, pl. XI.

注意事項

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

拍品專文

This elegant bronze is closely related to at least two other inkwells, one formerly in the Courajod collection (see Molinier, loc. cit.) and the other serving as a base for a bronze group of Venus and Cupid (Bode, loc. cit., see illustration). Interestingly, this latter group is also represented by an example in the Beit collection, offered as lot 174.

The Courajod and Berlin examples differ from the present lot only in that they are four-sided, with an added relief of a female dancing figure. Although ultimately derived from antique sources, Molinier points out that two of the reliefs on the Courajod inkwell - and, by extension, the present example - are also to be seen on the doors of the Palazzo Stango in Cremona, which are now in the Louvre.

The fact that these bronzes were intended to be handled and examined is emphasised by the fact that there is a fourth relief on the underside of the inkwell which is only visible when it has been turned over.