Lot 231A: Pio Fedi, Italian (1816-1892) A carved Carrara marble figure of Cupid forging arrows

the figure of Cupid astride at a small anvil, on a waisted circular base, signed Prof. Pio Fedi Firenze, 50cm high

Pio Fedi completed his early studies in sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence in 1837. He then joined the Academy of Wein and studied under the guidance of the important sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini. He enjoyed a long and prolific career, receiving many commissions from European nobility and royaly.

His early works of note include the San Sebastiano (1844), now in the Palazzo Pitti; as well as his statues of Nicola Pisano and Andrea Cesalpino for the portico of the Uffizi in 1849 and 1854. According to Alfonso Panzetta, the present lot most likely dates from this period of his career, between 1840 and 1850. The profane and very attractive subject matter would have appealled to the sculptor's private clients who were seeking decorative sculptures to enrich their interiors.

Related Literature: A. Panzetta Nuovo Dizionario degli Scultori Italiani dell'Ottocento e del primo Novecento Torino, 2003, p 363.