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Lot Essay
The present lot is a wonderfully balanced model depicting Leda and the Swan, a story from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus in the form of a swan seduces Leda. It is the only known example of the subject by Vittorio Caradossi (d. 1918).
Born in 1861, Caradossi studied sculpture under Augusto Rivalta (d. 1925) at the Accademia di Belle Arti. He was commissioned to execute a number of public monuments and is most remembered for his celebrated statue of the Renaissance artist Desiderio da Settignano, the model for which was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.
In contrast to his municipal works, Caradossi specialised in depictions of celestial and ethereal nudes, such as the present example. Other examples that belong to this category of marvellously abandoned female nudes include Dolce Far Niente (Christie's East, 26 October 1993, lot 46), Tre Nereidi, Dusk, A Moon Nymph Admiring Her Own Reflection (Christie's, London, 29 February 1996, lot 405), Il Fumo che Sale Verso le Nubi (Christie's, New York, 20 April 2005, lot 40) and Shooting Stars, an example of which sold Sotheby's New York, 8 November 2013, lot 114 ($689,000).
Although echoing the sensuality of his predecessors James Pradier (d. 1852) and Auguste Clésinger (d. 1883), who portrayed their nudes in a similar attitude of abandon, Caradossi's works exhibit a greater humour and modernity, partly dispelling the rather heady voluptuousness of the former sculptors. The composition demonstrates the technical virtuosity of the artist in this sensuous figure carved out of a single block of marble. Caradossi's extraordinary skill is further evident in the movement and sense of uninhibitedness the composition achieves.
Born in 1861, Caradossi studied sculpture under Augusto Rivalta (d. 1925) at the Accademia di Belle Arti. He was commissioned to execute a number of public monuments and is most remembered for his celebrated statue of the Renaissance artist Desiderio da Settignano, the model for which was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.
In contrast to his municipal works, Caradossi specialised in depictions of celestial and ethereal nudes, such as the present example. Other examples that belong to this category of marvellously abandoned female nudes include Dolce Far Niente (Christie's East, 26 October 1993, lot 46), Tre Nereidi, Dusk, A Moon Nymph Admiring Her Own Reflection (Christie's, London, 29 February 1996, lot 405), Il Fumo che Sale Verso le Nubi (Christie's, New York, 20 April 2005, lot 40) and Shooting Stars, an example of which sold Sotheby's New York, 8 November 2013, lot 114 ($689,000).
Although echoing the sensuality of his predecessors James Pradier (d. 1852) and Auguste Clésinger (d. 1883), who portrayed their nudes in a similar attitude of abandon, Caradossi's works exhibit a greater humour and modernity, partly dispelling the rather heady voluptuousness of the former sculptors. The composition demonstrates the technical virtuosity of the artist in this sensuous figure carved out of a single block of marble. Caradossi's extraordinary skill is further evident in the movement and sense of uninhibitedness the composition achieves.