19th C Grand Tour Bronze Callipygian Venus Sculpture

Details

Description

A charming and well-patinated Grand Tour souvenir bronze depicting the celebrated Venus Callipyge — "Venus of the Beautiful Buttocks" — … Read more A charming and well-patinated Grand Tour souvenir bronze depicting the celebrated Venus Callipyge — "Venus of the Beautiful Buttocks" — after the famous ancient marble now housed in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. The original, believed to be a 1st-century Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic Greek sculpture dating to around the 3rd or 2nd century BC, depicts the goddess lifting her drapery to glance admiringly over her shoulder at her own famously idealized posterior — a pose that is equal parts playful, sensual, and self-possessed. The subject captivated Grand Tour collectors and neoclassical sculptors alike, becoming one of the most reproduced antique figures of the 18th and 19th centuries.

This well-cast example, standing 11 inches tall on a tiered circular base with egg-and-dart and foliate border decoration, retains a rich, even black patina consistent with age and use. The figure leans gracefully with one arm raised, drapery falling in elegant folds — a faithful small-scale interpretation of the ancient prototype.

Condition notes: There is a small metal repair plate affixed to the proper right shin, visible on close inspection, and the piece shows general wear and surface aging throughout consistent with its age and history. No other losses or damage noted.

A lovely decorative piece for the classically-minded collector or a handsome addition to a curio or library display.

Dimensions: 11"H | Period: 19th Century | Origin: European (likely French or Italian) | Material: Black-patinated bronze | Condition: Good antique condition with noted repair to shin See less