Lot 132: A BRONZE FIGURE OF VENUS

A BRONZE FIGURE OF VENUS
WORKSHOP OF FERDINANDO TACCA (1619-1686), MID 17TH CENTURY
On an integrally cast naturalistic base and later rectangular marble plinth; formerly with a figure of a satyr to the left of the composition; warm brown patina with traces of a reddish gold lacquer
6½ in. (16.5 cm.) long

Edinburgh, London and Vienna, Royal Scottish Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Giambologna (1529-1608) - Sculptor to the Medici, 19 Aug. 1978 - 28 Jan. 1979, no. 74.
London, Daniel Katz Gallery, Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 11 Jun. - 19 Jul. 2002, by V. Avery, no. 5, pp. 78-81.

Professor Michael Jaffe, and by descent.

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN (LOTS 132 - 136)
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
Please note Payments and Collections will be unavailable on Monday 12th July 2010 due to a major update to the Client Accounting IT system. For further details please call +44 (0) 20 7839 9060 or e-mail info@christies.com
This beautifully finished bronze - known in other examples with a leering satry - is derived from a group composed by Giambologna, itself based upon an antique marble of Cleopatra Reclining (Edinburgh, op. cit., no. 69). The Giambologna composition was known to have existed from at least 1584, but its popularity ensured that it would continue to be produced well into the 17th century. The distinctive oval face of the nymph and the trailing punchwork on the base are characteristic motifs of bronzes by Ferdinando Tacca, who took over Giambologna's Borgo Pinti workshops in Florence in 1640.