AFTER GIAMBOLOGNA (1529-1608), 17TH CENTURY

Details

A BRONZE FIGURE OF VENUS AFTER THE BATH
AFTER GIAMBOLOGNA (1529-1608), 17TH CENTURY
Depicted nude, standing with one leg raised on a tripartite support, turning back to dry her foot; on a later cylindrical marble pedestal inscribed in red on the side with the inventory number '213'; medium greenish brown patina with traces of a darker surface; chips to pedestal
4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm.) high; 7¼ in. (18.4 cm.) high, overall

Provenance

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.

Literature

W. Bode, The Art Collection of Mr. Alfred Beit at His Residence 26 Park Lane London, Berlin, 1904, as 'Gian Bologna'.
W. Bode, Catalogue of the Collection of Pictures and Bronzes in the Possession of Mr. Otto Beit, London, 1913, p. 107, no. 213, as 'Imitator of Gian Bologna'.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
W. Bode, Königliche Museen zu Berlin - Die Italienische Bronzen, Berlin, 1904, p. 9, no. 281, pl. .
Edinburgh, London and Vienna, The Royal Scottish Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Giambologna 1529-1608 - Sculptor to the Medici, 19 Aug. 1978 - 28 Jan. 1979, p. 66, no. 8.

Special notice

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.

Lot Essay

The present composition, although undocumented as a work by Giambologna, is thought to have been an invention from the early years of his career. Bode also acquired an example for the museum in Berlin; see his catalogue of the collection there, from 1904 (loc. cit.).

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