Lot 162: GIOVANNI MARIA BENZONI ( 1809-1873) FIGURE OF A NYMPH GIOVANNI MARIA BENZONI

GIOVANNI MARIA BENZONI ( 1809-1873) FIGURE OF A NYMPH GIOVANNI MARIA BENZONI ITALIAN 1809-1873 NYMPH signed and dated: G o BENZONI. F. 1843 white marble, on marble base marble: 144cm., 56 3/4 in. base: 69.5cm., 27 3/8 in.

Giovanni Maria Benzoni was profoundly influenced by Antonio Canova, and this influence is most purely expressed in the artist's large works, especially those of historical or mythological subjects such as the present Nymph. Benzoni's technical mastery was highly praised and it is very evident in the treatment of this marble, as the artist gives folds of drapery, dimpled flesh and delicate fingers a flawless finish, transforming the hard stone into a soft and supple woman.

Other important works by Benzoni are preserved in The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal and the Galleria d'arte moderna, Milan.

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Panzetta, Nuovo dizionario degli scultori italiani, vol. 1, Turin, 2003, p. 84; V. Vicario, Gli scultori italiani, vol. 1, Lodi, 1994, p. 124-5