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Lot Essay
A native of Manchester, Holme Cardwell (1813–1895) entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1834, reportedly on the recommendation of Sir Francis Chantrey. In 1841 he travelled to Paris, where he is recorded as studying for several years under the renowned French sculptor and medallist David d’Angers, before moving on to Rome.
Rome would remain the principal centre of Cardwell’s career. Working within the city’s vibrant expatriate artistic community, he absorbed the visual language of the antique and developed a sculptural practice firmly rooted in the ideals of Neoclassicism, producing refined marble figures distinguished by their clarity of line, idealised forms and carefully finished surfaces.
The present lot, representing Venus Tying her Sandal, is characteristic of this highly sophisticated tradition, taking its inspiration from antique models that enjoyed particular popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries. In its restraint, sensitive modelling and fine finish, the present work reflects the enduring influence of the great Neoclassical sculptors who had established Rome as the centre of European sculpture in the preceding generation, notably Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen.
Cardwell’s reputation during his lifetime is attested by the number of his works now preserved in public collections. His marble Sabrina, first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1855, is today in Hove Museum, while a figure of Venus Victrix (inv. no. 1914.59) is held in the Manchester Art Gallery. His group Cupid and Pan (inv. no. 1076-1871), exhibited at the International Exhibition of 1862, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A small number of works by the sculptor have appeared at auction in recent years, including his Diana, exhibited in 1862 (Sotheby’s, London, 13 December 2017, lot 41, £357,000), and another version of Venus Tying her Sandal (Sotheby’s, London, 10 July 2017, lot 12, £77,500).
Rome would remain the principal centre of Cardwell’s career. Working within the city’s vibrant expatriate artistic community, he absorbed the visual language of the antique and developed a sculptural practice firmly rooted in the ideals of Neoclassicism, producing refined marble figures distinguished by their clarity of line, idealised forms and carefully finished surfaces.
The present lot, representing Venus Tying her Sandal, is characteristic of this highly sophisticated tradition, taking its inspiration from antique models that enjoyed particular popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries. In its restraint, sensitive modelling and fine finish, the present work reflects the enduring influence of the great Neoclassical sculptors who had established Rome as the centre of European sculpture in the preceding generation, notably Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen.
Cardwell’s reputation during his lifetime is attested by the number of his works now preserved in public collections. His marble Sabrina, first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1855, is today in Hove Museum, while a figure of Venus Victrix (inv. no. 1914.59) is held in the Manchester Art Gallery. His group Cupid and Pan (inv. no. 1076-1871), exhibited at the International Exhibition of 1862, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A small number of works by the sculptor have appeared at auction in recent years, including his Diana, exhibited in 1862 (Sotheby’s, London, 13 December 2017, lot 41, £357,000), and another version of Venus Tying her Sandal (Sotheby’s, London, 10 July 2017, lot 12, £77,500).