Terracotta sculptures

Recommended lots

19th century FRENCH SCHOOL after Jean-Baptiste II LEMOYNE (1704-1778) Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle (1657-1757), writer Bust in patinated plaster. Accident to the pedestal. H. 62 cm RELATED WORKS: Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne, Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, 1748, marble, H. 66 cm, Château de Versailles, inv. MV 850; Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne, Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, 1748, terracotta, H. 59 cm, Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, inv. 1974-4. RELATED LITERATURE: Claire Barbillon, Catherine Chevillot, Sculptures du XVIIe au XXe siècle : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Paris, Somogy, 2017, terracotta model listed under no. 18, pp. 90-91; Simone Hoog, Musée national du Château de Versailles. Les sculptures, Paris, RMN, 1993, marble model listed under no. 630, p. 150. Jean-Baptiste II Lemoyne, sculptor-portraitist to Louis XV, created the marble bust of Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle in 1745, which was preserved until the artist's workshop was dispersed at the time of his death. In 1839, the marble was acquired by Louis-Philippe to complete the collection of the Galeries historiques de Versailles. He also executed this terracotta bust between March and August 1748, in gratitude for his appointment as an associate member of the Institution of Rouen. The work was exhibited at the Salon of the same year and met with great success, leading Lemoyne to produce several terracotta copies. Later, Jean Pouzadoux (1829-1893) produced molds in patinated plaster, one of which is preserved at the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine (entered 1885, inv. MOU.00593).

Estim. 300 - 500 EUR

GREEK APULIAN RED-FIGURE BELL KRATER - Ca. Late 4th century BC. A red-figure bell krater, a vessel for mixing wine and water during symposium, crafted from terracotta and decorated with white and yellow details over black glaze. It features a large, deep body with a flared rim, supported by a stemmed round foot. Two upturned handles facilitate ease of handling. On Side A of the krater, a maenad takes centre stage, draped in a chiton fastened below her breasts by a belt. She holds a casket in her left hand and a mirror in her right. Adorned with a stephane in her hair, large earrings, a beaded necklace, and bracelets, the maenad stands facing a nude man. The latter, with a mantle thrown over his left arm, holds a tambourine in his outstretched right hand and a short staff or stick in his left. A wreath adorns his head. Side B features a pair of draped ephebi engaged in conversation. A laurel leaf wreath runs beneath the rim, stylised palmettes are below the handles framed by tongues and rays, and a wave pattern encircling the bottom of the vessel. This piece is accompanied by a historical report from Alessandro Neri, an international Cultural Heritage expert based in Florence, Italy. Size: 340mm x 355mm; Weight: 3.7kg Provenance: Property of a central London gallery, previously acquired on the Dutch art market; Ex. Frederik Van Driel, Maastricht 1993. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.

Estim. 4,000 - 6,000 GBP