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LOT 0395
Marble Statue of Kneeling Venus
20TH CENTURY A.D.
34 7/8 in. (135 kg, 88.5 cm high).
A marble copy of the kneeling Venus (original in the Vatican Museums), crouching on an octagonal base; the arms raised in expressive pose, head tilted, hair drawn up in a chignon; lettering to base 'KNEELING VENUS' and 'ROME'.
ProvenanceFrench collection, 1960s-early 2000s.
From an important Paris gallery, France.
with Auktionshaus Kaupp GmbH, Salzburg, Germany, 25 September 2016.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11688-199351.
Cf. Uffizi, Florence, inventory no. 1914 n.188.
FootnotesThe statue is modelled on an ancient original, commonly thought to represent Aphrodite. The original statue of the Crouching Venus was excavated in Salona (modern Solin near Split, Croatia). It was purchased for the Vatican Museums from where it was confiscated by the French under Napoleon, and subsequently returned to the Vatican in 1816.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Bronze Aquamanile with Horse and Rider
Early 19th century A.D.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,200
A bronze aquamanile portraying a mounted rider, both horse and rider modelled in the round with semi-naturalistic anatomical and facial features; the horse standing facing forwards, ears pinned back and with short tail; the male figure positioned with one hand on the reins, the other raised to eye level, wearing period costume and boots; rectangular vessel mouth behind horse's forelock with remains of hinge for a lid (absent), conical pouring spout to its lower chest; some splits; modelled on c.15th century German examples. 5.6 kg, 30.5 cm high
Acquired from St Marys Convent, Peekshill, New York. From Emily Gagnon, Dallas, USA. UK private collection, 2002. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11686-197726
The practical function of the aquamanile was to pour clean water over the hands before dining, and in religious contexts to symbolically purify the body before undertaking communion. The origins of the form are often traced to the area of Iran, and it reached Western Europe through contacts with the Byzantine Empire. -
Post Medieval Water Basin with Figures
19th-20th century A.D.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
A copper-alloy water basin held on the shoulders of two muscular nude male figures traversing a wooded landscape, animal skin shawls draped around their necks and shoulders; the basin carinated with a frieze of stylised floral roundels to the shoulder. 15.2 kg total, 39 cm high
English private collection. -
Gold, Enamel, and Diamond-Set Skull Ring
Circa 1700 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,212
A Queen Anne period gold ring composed of a slender hoop with expanding shoulders formed as the ball-joints of long bones; bezel formed as an elongated stylised skull featuring large eye-sockets set with facetted diamonds; white enamelled teeth and head detailing; accompanied by a vintage ring box. 2.82 grams, 19.54 mm overall,17.22 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)
Acquired from Berganza, Hatton Garden, London, 2016. Property of an East Sussex collector. Accompanied by a copy of the Berganza invoice. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11665-197583.
Likely a ring of the memento mori genre. The V & A Museum states that during the 'Renaissance, the ring developed from the simple forms of the medieval period into a miniature work of art, combining the skills of the chaser, engraver and enameller as well as the stone cutter.'
