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拍品專文
Acquired by Sir Michael Shaw Stewart Bt from the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen when he visited the artist's studio in Rome in 1828, Cupid with his Bow is a prime work of neo-classical sculpture that has been passed down from generation to generation in the same family to the present day.
THORVALDSEN IN ROME
Thorvaldsen's family background and even his date of birth remain uncertain, but it is known that by the age of 11 he had been enrolled to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He travelled to Rome from Copenhagen in March 1797, after he had won a scholarship from the Academy which funded his travel to Italy. By this time neo-classicism had taken hold in the city, and Antonio Canova was its greatest exponent. Thorvaldsen was in his late twenties, a generation younger than Canova, and made his first impression in Rome with a plaster group of Jason with the Golden Fleece, with a version in marble commissioned by the influential British connoisseur Thomas Hope. The money from this allowed him to stay on in Rome and commit to his studies of classical antiquity.
Thorvaldsen’s works marked a break from Canova. Thorvaldsen had learned the fundamental classical ideals from the great master as well as from his study of classical antiquities. However, he developed a more severe and introverted style than had existed before, which contemporary critics attributed to the distinction between his Nordic origins and Italian influences of artists such as Canova. In the years that followed, Thorvaldsen’s reputation spread, and when Canova died in 1822, he became the foremost neoclassical sculptor in Italy and, arguably, the most famous sculptor in Europe.
THE SHAW STEWART GRAND TOUR
Michael Shaw Stewart (1788-1836) was destined to become a major landowner in Renfrewshire. He inherited Ardgowan, the house his great-uncle built, in 1825, as well as succeeding to the title of 6th Baronet. However, like many of his contemporaries, as a younger man he had taken advantage of the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 to set out for the continent on a European Grand Tour that had not previously been possible. After an extensive tour of the Low Countries and Germany, in March 1815 he arrived in Rome and was taken to see Canova’s studio by Lord Cawdor, a veteran of the Grand Tour. Shaw Stewart studied conscientiously, travelling around Italy and keeping a meticulous diary (for a discussion of his time in Italy see Russell, op. cit.). By 11 February 1815 Shaw Stewart had made his third visit to see Canova, and he wrote in his diary: 'we waited ½ an hour for Captain Brisbane during which I saw Canova at work on the 3 Graces for Beauharnais’ (ibid., p. 505). Four days later, he visited Canova again, but this time continued on to Thorvaldsen’s studio, which he visited repeatedly on 16 and 19 February, and then twice more in the run up to his departure on 7 March. He evidently took a great interest in both Canova and Thorvaldsen, and had probably struck up a rapport with both artists.
After his return to Scotland he moved into politics, and was finally returned as MP for Lanarkshire at a by-election in October 1827, on the interest of the Whig 10th Duke of Hamilton. Hamilton, a neighbour in Lanarkshire, was, like Shaw Stewart, a passionate collector of Napoleana. Sometime after his by-election victory in October 1827 Shaw Stewart left for Italy, and it is noted that his brother John represented him in Parliament during his absence in Florence (Jones, loc. cit.). However he had returned by 16 June 1828, when he spoke in the Commons on a debate over duties on East and West Indian produce.
Accompanying the present lot is the original hand written receipt which Thorvaldsen gave to Michael Shaw Stewart as an acknowledgement of payment for Cupid with his Bow. The receipt is dated 17 April 1828, at the time when Shaw Stewart had temporarily vacated to the continent. Lady Shaw Stewart later wrote a letter to a 'Mr Hamilton' which the Thorvaldsen Museum Archives suggest alludes to the 10th Duke of Hamilton despite the use of his incorrect title, referring to the purchase of the present marble:
'Dear Mr Hamilton
Shortly after you called upon me one of my family became very unwell which occupied my thoughts a good deal, but he being now perfectly well I have remembered your wish to possess an autograph of Thorwaldsen. If you should shortly receive one from Norway or Denmark I sh.d be very glad indeed to have the enclosed back for it is rather an effort to me to part with it. Mr Knudtzon suggested the asking his friend to give a receipt & we stood by him in his studio while he wrote it. In case, by any chance, your friend who is collecting may meet with poor Lord Stuart & ask him about the statue I mention that the Purchaser was my Husband Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, & that the “Amorino” is at Ardgowan, Greenock where I wish you w.d Come & see it.
Believe me
Ys very truly
EM Shaw Stewart
Belgrave Sqre
March 28' (Thorvaldsen Museum Archives, loc. cit.)
In this letter Lady Shaw Stewart refers to her husband in the past tense, and the Thorvaldsen Museum have interpreted this to be to have been written after his death (19 December 1836). She mentions that Hamilton had requested an autograph of Thorvaldsen, which was not an unusual demand as by this time Thorvaldsen’s status was such that his signature had become a collector’s item in its own right. She then says that a Mr Knudtzon, the Norwegian merchant and friend of Thorvaldsen Jørgen Knudtzon, suggested to the artist that he give Sir Michael and Lady Shaw Stewart a receipt ‘and we stood by him in his studio while he wrote it’. The ‘him’ refers to Thorvaldsen and this remark documents the Shaw Stewart’s presence in Rome in 1828. Hamilton evidently returned ‘the enclosed’, which is the present receipt.
THE CARVING OF THE SHAW STEWART CUPID
Thorvaldsen’s workshop accounts have survived, giving us a detailed understanding of his working practices. In the accounts for the period 1823-1828 are notes on the undertaking of a marble statue Amorino in piedi that is almost certainly the Shaw Stewart Cupid with his Bow. Thorvaldsen had already modelled the composition of the figure several years earlier, and a version in marble had been carved which is now in the Thorvaldsen Museum, Copenhagen (inv. A819). This version is dated to circa 1819, and is mentioned in the travel diaries of King Christian VIII of Denmark (1786-1848), who saw it in Thorvaldsen’s studio in December 1821 after it had been damaged by the collapse of a floor in the building. For the present version Thorvaldsen placed the figure of Cupid on a circular rather than the square base that was used before, and adjusted the line of the bow.
A pencil drawing in the Thorvaldsen Museum from the artist's hand is probably a preliminary design for the composition (inv. C1042). The drawing is more experimental with the composition than the finalised model, which was probably modified due to considerations around the dimensions of the marble block that would be used and structural complications in carving ambitious outlying forms. The plaster model (Thorvaldsen Museum, inv. A36) that has survived would have been retained in the workshop and used by Thorvaldsen and his assistants for both the version in the Thorvaldsen Museum and the present marble.
According to the accounts, a marble Amorino in piedo, which is almost certainly the present marble, was commenced in February 1826. It was first worked on by an assistant called Amadeo, who is also known to have worked on Jason and the Golden Fleece. By July the marble was passed on to another assistant called Carlesi and then in September on to Moise, who was an expert in carving fine ornaments and inscriptions. By October 1827 the work was with Pietro Bonanni (b. 1810), who later worked with Pietro Tenerani. It is likely that during the period between then and February 1828, when the work was with the polisher, Thorvaldsen added the finishing touches to the marble. Thorvaldsen ran a large and well-organized studio practice, which ensured that his output was always of a very high quality. The presence of the workshop accounts for Cupid with his Bow show that this marble was made according to these rigorous practices, where specialist assistants focused on a particular aspect of the job, whether it be blocking out the marble or applying texture to the relevant surfaces, which were overseen by Thorvaldsen himself.
At the heart of Thorvaldsen’s neo-classicism was his attachment to classical mythology and 'he was particularly attracted to myths featuring Cupid’ (Jørnæs, Grove Art Online). Many of his works, particularly his reliefs, featured the God of love and the primary influence for this motif were the ancient bronzes, gems and coins he collected, such as the agate Graeco-Roman ringstone of Eros, seated with bow and arrow (Thorvaldsen Museum, inv. I438) and the Roman bronze statuette of Amor holding a mirror (Thorvaldsen Museum, inv. H2055).
Shaw Stewart paid 100 luigi d’oro to Thorvaldsen for Cupid with his Bow. The luigi d'oro was a French currency that was used throughout Europe, predominantly because it was made of gold. 100 luigi d’oro amounted to 440 Italian scudi in 1810, and this had not changed significantly by 1828. This accords well with prices for statues of a similar size by Thorvaldsen.
THORVALDSEN IN ROME
Thorvaldsen's family background and even his date of birth remain uncertain, but it is known that by the age of 11 he had been enrolled to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He travelled to Rome from Copenhagen in March 1797, after he had won a scholarship from the Academy which funded his travel to Italy. By this time neo-classicism had taken hold in the city, and Antonio Canova was its greatest exponent. Thorvaldsen was in his late twenties, a generation younger than Canova, and made his first impression in Rome with a plaster group of Jason with the Golden Fleece, with a version in marble commissioned by the influential British connoisseur Thomas Hope. The money from this allowed him to stay on in Rome and commit to his studies of classical antiquity.
Thorvaldsen’s works marked a break from Canova. Thorvaldsen had learned the fundamental classical ideals from the great master as well as from his study of classical antiquities. However, he developed a more severe and introverted style than had existed before, which contemporary critics attributed to the distinction between his Nordic origins and Italian influences of artists such as Canova. In the years that followed, Thorvaldsen’s reputation spread, and when Canova died in 1822, he became the foremost neoclassical sculptor in Italy and, arguably, the most famous sculptor in Europe.
THE SHAW STEWART GRAND TOUR
Michael Shaw Stewart (1788-1836) was destined to become a major landowner in Renfrewshire. He inherited Ardgowan, the house his great-uncle built, in 1825, as well as succeeding to the title of 6th Baronet. However, like many of his contemporaries, as a younger man he had taken advantage of the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 to set out for the continent on a European Grand Tour that had not previously been possible. After an extensive tour of the Low Countries and Germany, in March 1815 he arrived in Rome and was taken to see Canova’s studio by Lord Cawdor, a veteran of the Grand Tour. Shaw Stewart studied conscientiously, travelling around Italy and keeping a meticulous diary (for a discussion of his time in Italy see Russell, op. cit.). By 11 February 1815 Shaw Stewart had made his third visit to see Canova, and he wrote in his diary: 'we waited ½ an hour for Captain Brisbane during which I saw Canova at work on the 3 Graces for Beauharnais’ (ibid., p. 505). Four days later, he visited Canova again, but this time continued on to Thorvaldsen’s studio, which he visited repeatedly on 16 and 19 February, and then twice more in the run up to his departure on 7 March. He evidently took a great interest in both Canova and Thorvaldsen, and had probably struck up a rapport with both artists.
After his return to Scotland he moved into politics, and was finally returned as MP for Lanarkshire at a by-election in October 1827, on the interest of the Whig 10th Duke of Hamilton. Hamilton, a neighbour in Lanarkshire, was, like Shaw Stewart, a passionate collector of Napoleana. Sometime after his by-election victory in October 1827 Shaw Stewart left for Italy, and it is noted that his brother John represented him in Parliament during his absence in Florence (Jones, loc. cit.). However he had returned by 16 June 1828, when he spoke in the Commons on a debate over duties on East and West Indian produce.
Accompanying the present lot is the original hand written receipt which Thorvaldsen gave to Michael Shaw Stewart as an acknowledgement of payment for Cupid with his Bow. The receipt is dated 17 April 1828, at the time when Shaw Stewart had temporarily vacated to the continent. Lady Shaw Stewart later wrote a letter to a 'Mr Hamilton' which the Thorvaldsen Museum Archives suggest alludes to the 10th Duke of Hamilton despite the use of his incorrect title, referring to the purchase of the present marble:
'Dear Mr Hamilton
Shortly after you called upon me one of my family became very unwell which occupied my thoughts a good deal, but he being now perfectly well I have remembered your wish to possess an autograph of Thorwaldsen. If you should shortly receive one from Norway or Denmark I sh.d be very glad indeed to have the enclosed back for it is rather an effort to me to part with it. Mr Knudtzon suggested the asking his friend to give a receipt & we stood by him in his studio while he wrote it. In case, by any chance, your friend who is collecting may meet with poor Lord Stuart & ask him about the statue I mention that the Purchaser was my Husband Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, & that the “Amorino” is at Ardgowan, Greenock where I wish you w.d Come & see it.
Believe me
Ys very truly
EM Shaw Stewart
Belgrave Sqre
March 28' (Thorvaldsen Museum Archives, loc. cit.)
In this letter Lady Shaw Stewart refers to her husband in the past tense, and the Thorvaldsen Museum have interpreted this to be to have been written after his death (19 December 1836). She mentions that Hamilton had requested an autograph of Thorvaldsen, which was not an unusual demand as by this time Thorvaldsen’s status was such that his signature had become a collector’s item in its own right. She then says that a Mr Knudtzon, the Norwegian merchant and friend of Thorvaldsen Jørgen Knudtzon, suggested to the artist that he give Sir Michael and Lady Shaw Stewart a receipt ‘and we stood by him in his studio while he wrote it’. The ‘him’ refers to Thorvaldsen and this remark documents the Shaw Stewart’s presence in Rome in 1828. Hamilton evidently returned ‘the enclosed’, which is the present receipt.
THE CARVING OF THE SHAW STEWART CUPID
Thorvaldsen’s workshop accounts have survived, giving us a detailed understanding of his working practices. In the accounts for the period 1823-1828 are notes on the undertaking of a marble statue Amorino in piedi that is almost certainly the Shaw Stewart Cupid with his Bow. Thorvaldsen had already modelled the composition of the figure several years earlier, and a version in marble had been carved which is now in the Thorvaldsen Museum, Copenhagen (inv. A819). This version is dated to circa 1819, and is mentioned in the travel diaries of King Christian VIII of Denmark (1786-1848), who saw it in Thorvaldsen’s studio in December 1821 after it had been damaged by the collapse of a floor in the building. For the present version Thorvaldsen placed the figure of Cupid on a circular rather than the square base that was used before, and adjusted the line of the bow.
A pencil drawing in the Thorvaldsen Museum from the artist's hand is probably a preliminary design for the composition (inv. C1042). The drawing is more experimental with the composition than the finalised model, which was probably modified due to considerations around the dimensions of the marble block that would be used and structural complications in carving ambitious outlying forms. The plaster model (Thorvaldsen Museum, inv. A36) that has survived would have been retained in the workshop and used by Thorvaldsen and his assistants for both the version in the Thorvaldsen Museum and the present marble.
According to the accounts, a marble Amorino in piedo, which is almost certainly the present marble, was commenced in February 1826. It was first worked on by an assistant called Amadeo, who is also known to have worked on Jason and the Golden Fleece. By July the marble was passed on to another assistant called Carlesi and then in September on to Moise, who was an expert in carving fine ornaments and inscriptions. By October 1827 the work was with Pietro Bonanni (b. 1810), who later worked with Pietro Tenerani. It is likely that during the period between then and February 1828, when the work was with the polisher, Thorvaldsen added the finishing touches to the marble. Thorvaldsen ran a large and well-organized studio practice, which ensured that his output was always of a very high quality. The presence of the workshop accounts for Cupid with his Bow show that this marble was made according to these rigorous practices, where specialist assistants focused on a particular aspect of the job, whether it be blocking out the marble or applying texture to the relevant surfaces, which were overseen by Thorvaldsen himself.
At the heart of Thorvaldsen’s neo-classicism was his attachment to classical mythology and 'he was particularly attracted to myths featuring Cupid’ (Jørnæs, Grove Art Online). Many of his works, particularly his reliefs, featured the God of love and the primary influence for this motif were the ancient bronzes, gems and coins he collected, such as the agate Graeco-Roman ringstone of Eros, seated with bow and arrow (Thorvaldsen Museum, inv. I438) and the Roman bronze statuette of Amor holding a mirror (Thorvaldsen Museum, inv. H2055).
Shaw Stewart paid 100 luigi d’oro to Thorvaldsen for Cupid with his Bow. The luigi d'oro was a French currency that was used throughout Europe, predominantly because it was made of gold. 100 luigi d’oro amounted to 440 Italian scudi in 1810, and this had not changed significantly by 1828. This accords well with prices for statues of a similar size by Thorvaldsen.