Lot 350: A CARVED MARBLE BUST OF HADRIAN

A CARVED MARBLE BUST OF HADRIAN
ATTRIBUTED TO BARTOLOMEO CAVACEPPI (1716-1799), CIRCA 1788
On an integral circular marble socle; minor damages and repairs
31¾ in. (80.7 cm.) high

Wörlitz, Schloss Wörlitz, Von der Schönheit weissen Marmors Zum 200. Todestag Bartolomeo Cavaceppis, 19 Jun. - 5 Sept. 1999, I. Pfeifer ed.

Commissioned in circa 1788 by Duke Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau, and by descent until acquired by the present owner.

The antique prototype upon which the imposing marble bust of Hadrian offered here is based is the 2nd century AD original formerly in the Albani collection and now in the Capitoline Museum, Rome. Carved in circa 1788 by Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, one of the most prolific and industrious 18th century sculptors in Italy, the present Hadrian once formed part of the celebrated Anhalt-Dessau collection in Schloss Wörlitz, Germany, where it was on display until the late 20th century.

This bust was executed as part of a series of 'modern' marble busts of Roman historical and mythological figures that would complement the collection of antiquities Duke Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau commissioned Cavaceppi to restore. The Duke began building his collection of antiquities in 1765 while on a Grand Tour to Rome with his brother, Johann Georg. The two brothers were introduced to Cavaceppi by the German art historian and archaeologist, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and it was as early as 1768 that Cavaceppi began work for the noble family.

Cavaceppi provided portrait busts of the Duke and Duchess as well as restorations of antique originals, reproductions of antiquities - as the bust offered here exemplifies - casts, sketches and inventions. To understand the extent of this creative output one has to consider the growing interest in the acquisition of ancient sculptures coupled with the growing Papal restrictions on the exportation of antiquities from Italy. The latter resulted in fewer of the finest ancient sculptures leaving Italy and a growth in the market for copies and casts that, ultimately, ended up being more desirable than many restored antiquities. In his discussion on the nature of Cavaceppi's work at Schloss Wörlitz, Howard rightly notes (op. cit., p. 70) that with his 'modern' busts of the Roman emperor's he was, essentially, recreating the ancient idea of a Hall of Fame where busts of emperors, their wives and children, athletes and generals, created an environment of imperial magnificence.

Thus, aside from its merit as an individual work of art this bust of Hadrian represents not only a major commission from a celebrated artist but, more broadly, as an example of the burgeoning industry in reproducing antique prototypes for ravenous European collectors, in which Cavaceppi was at the forefront.