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拍品專文
Rudolph Schadow was one of the most talented and original sculptors of the 19th century, and the Sandal Binder remains one of his most iconic and enduring compositions. Brilliantly carved and conceived, the sculpture exemplifies Northern neoclassicism at its finest: cool, emotionally restrained, yet simultaneously intimate and tender in its portrayal of a young girl absorbed in the simple act of tying her sandal.
Although for many years only five autograph life-size marble versions of The Sandal Binder were acknowledged, the writings of Rudolph’s younger brother, the painter Wilhelm von Schadow, attest to seven versions (Schadow, op. cit. p. 210). Wilhelm recounts the origins of the composition, stating that his brother wanted to depict a subject from quotidian life, albeit in an idealised way, rather than a mythological theme that was more prevalent at the time.
The present example, dated 1819, is of particular importance as it is very likely the example exhibited at the celebrated Nazarene exhibition of German artists in Rome, held in April 1819 at the Palazzo Caffarelli on the Capitoline Hill. Organized by the influential diplomat and scholar Barthold Georg Niebuhr (1776-1831) to coincide with the imperial visit of Emperor Francis I of Austria and Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, the exhibition brought together leading artists of the German Romantic movement then active in Rome.
Schadow’s pride in the composition is well documented. His brother included it prominently in his 1815–1816 group portrait (now in the Nationalgalerie, Berlin, inv. no. AI 325), depicting Rudolph with chisel in hand, the Sandal Binder behind him, flanked by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, a key figure in his early development.
The overwhelming enthusiasm the Sandal Binder received upon completion led to an exceptional series of patronage. Of the seven examples referenced by Wilhelm von Schadow in 1854, six are accounted for today. In addition to the present lot, one example, dated 1814, was long considered lost until its rediscovery and sale at Christie’s (Anonymous Sale; Christie’s New York, 1 May 2019, lot 292, price realised $200,000). It now resides in the Princely Collections of Liechtenstein (inv. no. SK 1645). Another version, dated 1817, was acquired by Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and is now in the Neue Pinakothek, Munich (inv. no. WAF B 24). A fourth example, dated 1819, was commissioned by the Irish collector Henry Patten and later entered a German private collection (Eckardt, op. cit., no. WVZ32.4). A fifth, completed in 1820, was commissioned by King Frederick William III of Prussia and is now in the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten, Berlin (inv. no. Skulpt.sig. 2822). A sixth, unsigned version was acquired by John Izard Middleton around 1820 and remains at Middleton Place plantation, South Carolina.
Although for many years only five autograph life-size marble versions of The Sandal Binder were acknowledged, the writings of Rudolph’s younger brother, the painter Wilhelm von Schadow, attest to seven versions (Schadow, op. cit. p. 210). Wilhelm recounts the origins of the composition, stating that his brother wanted to depict a subject from quotidian life, albeit in an idealised way, rather than a mythological theme that was more prevalent at the time.
The present example, dated 1819, is of particular importance as it is very likely the example exhibited at the celebrated Nazarene exhibition of German artists in Rome, held in April 1819 at the Palazzo Caffarelli on the Capitoline Hill. Organized by the influential diplomat and scholar Barthold Georg Niebuhr (1776-1831) to coincide with the imperial visit of Emperor Francis I of Austria and Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, the exhibition brought together leading artists of the German Romantic movement then active in Rome.
Schadow’s pride in the composition is well documented. His brother included it prominently in his 1815–1816 group portrait (now in the Nationalgalerie, Berlin, inv. no. AI 325), depicting Rudolph with chisel in hand, the Sandal Binder behind him, flanked by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, a key figure in his early development.
The overwhelming enthusiasm the Sandal Binder received upon completion led to an exceptional series of patronage. Of the seven examples referenced by Wilhelm von Schadow in 1854, six are accounted for today. In addition to the present lot, one example, dated 1814, was long considered lost until its rediscovery and sale at Christie’s (Anonymous Sale; Christie’s New York, 1 May 2019, lot 292, price realised $200,000). It now resides in the Princely Collections of Liechtenstein (inv. no. SK 1645). Another version, dated 1817, was acquired by Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and is now in the Neue Pinakothek, Munich (inv. no. WAF B 24). A fourth example, dated 1819, was commissioned by the Irish collector Henry Patten and later entered a German private collection (Eckardt, op. cit., no. WVZ32.4). A fifth, completed in 1820, was commissioned by King Frederick William III of Prussia and is now in the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten, Berlin (inv. no. Skulpt.sig. 2822). A sixth, unsigned version was acquired by John Izard Middleton around 1820 and remains at Middleton Place plantation, South Carolina.