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Lot Essay
PUBLISHED:
A Catalogue of the Lansdowne Marbles, Statues, Busts, Bas-Reliefs, and other Distinguished Monuments of Ancient Sculpture, Principally collected in Italy, by the Most Noble William, Marquis of Lansdowne, and Constituting the Celebrated Collection of Lansdowne House in Berkeley Square, Bulmer & Co., 1810, p. 14, nos 97 and 98.
In 1771 the statesman William, second Earl of Shelburne and first Marquess of Lansdowne, visited Italy and conceived the idea of adorning his own London residence in Berkeley Square with a collection of sculpture. In so doing Lord Shelburne was to become one of the great 18th century collectors of ancient sculpture and one of the many new collectors of this period inspired by the Grand Tour who were able to acquire sculptures found in the excavations being carried out in and around Rome.
In order to carry out his plans Lord Shelburne secured the help of one of the most enterprising and successful artist/explorers of the day, Gavin Hamilton, who, along with Thomas Jenkins, controlled most of the supply of antiquities from Rome to English patrons. The marble sculptures sent by Hamilton during 1771-1772 came principally from the very successful excavations which he had made in 1769 on the site of Hadrian's villa at Tivoli.
Although listed in 1810 in A Catalogue of the Lansdowne Marbles, op.cit., as 'Chimeras; a Panther's head and paw' and 'the companion', the difference in carving and type of marble would suggest the support facing right to be a later copy. Hamilton sold many ancient pieces and fragments to his contemporary, the famous architect/artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who would then create decorative and architectural items ideally suited to London interiors. In his workshop Piranesi had working for him a sculptor called Cardelli, known for his skill in producing fireplaces, and who was listed as selling to Lord Shelburne. Piranesi's treatise on interior decoration Diverse maniere d'Adornare i Cammini (1769) illustrated a variety of remarkable chimneypieces, whose engravings were dedicated to English patrons. The second support could well be a product of the Piranesi studio.
A Catalogue of the Lansdowne Marbles, Statues, Busts, Bas-Reliefs, and other Distinguished Monuments of Ancient Sculpture, Principally collected in Italy, by the Most Noble William, Marquis of Lansdowne, and Constituting the Celebrated Collection of Lansdowne House in Berkeley Square, Bulmer & Co., 1810, p. 14, nos 97 and 98.
In 1771 the statesman William, second Earl of Shelburne and first Marquess of Lansdowne, visited Italy and conceived the idea of adorning his own London residence in Berkeley Square with a collection of sculpture. In so doing Lord Shelburne was to become one of the great 18th century collectors of ancient sculpture and one of the many new collectors of this period inspired by the Grand Tour who were able to acquire sculptures found in the excavations being carried out in and around Rome.
In order to carry out his plans Lord Shelburne secured the help of one of the most enterprising and successful artist/explorers of the day, Gavin Hamilton, who, along with Thomas Jenkins, controlled most of the supply of antiquities from Rome to English patrons. The marble sculptures sent by Hamilton during 1771-1772 came principally from the very successful excavations which he had made in 1769 on the site of Hadrian's villa at Tivoli.
Although listed in 1810 in A Catalogue of the Lansdowne Marbles, op.cit., as 'Chimeras; a Panther's head and paw' and 'the companion', the difference in carving and type of marble would suggest the support facing right to be a later copy. Hamilton sold many ancient pieces and fragments to his contemporary, the famous architect/artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who would then create decorative and architectural items ideally suited to London interiors. In his workshop Piranesi had working for him a sculptor called Cardelli, known for his skill in producing fireplaces, and who was listed as selling to Lord Shelburne. Piranesi's treatise on interior decoration Diverse maniere d'Adornare i Cammini (1769) illustrated a variety of remarkable chimneypieces, whose engravings were dedicated to English patrons. The second support could well be a product of the Piranesi studio.