Lot 74: Enrico Astorri , Italian 1859-1921 girl with a drum and monkey bronze, dark brown and golden brown patina

signed: E. Astorri bronze, dark brown and golden brown patina

measurements note 122.5cm., 48¼in.

Enrico Astorri came from Piacenza, near Milan. He began his studies at the Instituto Gazzola di Piacenza and continued at Parma and Genoa, finally setting up his studio in Milan.

His entry to the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris was honoured with a gold medal. The influence of Lorenzo Bartolini was important to Astorri's early works, but he soon began to work in a more fluid and modern style. These life-size bronze figures of young girls are typical of the Italian late 19th century interest in genre subjects. One is pastoral - the girl reaching into a bag of grain to feed the turkey at her side, whilst the other is more exotic - it depicts a young circus performer resting on a drum, a monkey on her shoulder. Both are carefluly finished and patinated to distinguish the different textures and surfaces across the bronze.

Works by Astorri are preserved in the museums of Piacenza and Trieste.

RELATED LITERATURE
Bénézit, vol. 1, p.514; Vicario, vol. I, pp. 43-46; Panzetta (2003), vol. I, p.26