Lot 59: Giovanni Maria Benzoni , Italian 1809-1873 Cupid white Carrara marble , on a later black and purple-inlaid marble pedestal

signed G.M. BENZONI. F.A. 1853. ROMA . white Carrara marble , on a later black and purple-inlaid marble pedestal

measurements figure height 41 in.; pedestal height 24 in. alternate measurements 104 cm; 61 cm

Benzoni studied under Giuseppe Fabri before entering the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in 1828. Equally renowned for his religious work and classical subjects, he executed funerary monuments, architectural sculptures, and portrait busts.

Benzoni was a truly international artist who received commissions from aristocratic families all over the world, from St. Petersburg to Brazil. He carried these out from his studio in Rome. His sculpture was well-known in England after he showed work at the Great Exhibition of 1851, and, as a result, he received many English commissions. He also exhibited at the International Exhibition in Antwerp in 1861 as a representative of the Vatican.