Sculpture, Carvings & Other

Browse our stock of antique sculpture and carvings including a wide range of busts, stone sculpture, plaques and key stones in a range of materials like stone, wood, cast iron and terracotta.

  • Stock: 16698

    A very fine 18th century marble copy of the Medici Vase, after the antique. Almost certainly made in Italy for a wealthy Grand Tourist and a faithful copy of one of the most renowned Roman artefacts from Italy.
    The origins of the Medici Vase are uncertain, the first record of the vase being in an inventory of the Villa Medici in Rome in 1598. In 1780, it was moved to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
    It is particularly significant as it is the only extant Roman krater to not have a Dionysian theme, although the subject remains unclear. It depicts a statue of Apollo Lyricine, who was later restored mistakenly as Diana, with a bare-breasted woman at the foot of the statue, while other figures gaze solemnly towards this scene.
    The narrative scene is bordered by a decoration of vine shoots and leaves to the upper portion, whilst the lower portion has phytomorphic, acanthine decoration also carved in low relief. The original vase would have once been brightly decorated, and highlighted in gold.

    This version is a good size, and of exceptional quality.

    Italian, c.1770.

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    Diameter Height
    16 18"
    41 cms
    21 14"
    54 cms

    Listed Price: £4,500 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16556

    A rare pair of large cast iron Handyside urns after the the Medici Vase. These urns were manufactured by the renowned Andrew Handyside & Co Foundry, and as illustrated in the catalogue, are a near pair, with a different subject to the bas-relief friezes. The right is a faithful copy to the original Medici Vase, now on display at the Uffizi in Florence. Both are mounted on their original pedestals.

    English, c.1851.

    Notes: The Handyside Foundry exhibited this model at the Great Exhibition of 1851, as it was, and still remains, one of the most popular subjects from antiquity.

    Having returned from his uncle's engineering business in Russia, the young engineer Andrew Handyside took over the Britannia iron works in Derby in 1848, a foundry that was known for the quality of its casting, owing to the fine sand that could be found in the region. He made a wide range of materials in cast iron, from garden ornaments, to iron buildings and bridges.

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    Width Height Depth
    Urn & Base 23 58"
    60 cms
    54 14"
    138 cms
    23 58"
    60 cms
    Base 19 14"
    49 cms
    24"
    61 cms
  • Stock: 16539

    A large and grand 19th century Gothic Revival pedestal in oak. The panelled central stem is flanked by four slender columns at the corners, over which are mounted dainty floral rosettes.
    This substantial pedestal is perfect for a large piece of statuary, or even a jardinière, and is not unlike the pedestals used for display in 19th century museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum.

    English, mid-19th century.

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    Width Height
    25 316"
    64 cms
    47 58"
    121 cms

    Listed Price: £1,800 (+VAT where applicable)

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  •  Scottish Greek Thomson Style Stone Head Reserved

    Stock: 6560

    A large boldly carved stone head of a classical figure wearing a laurel wreath. Originally mounted on the parapet of a building in Glasgow, built in the Greek Revival style, now demolished.
    Very much in the style of - or perhaps even designed by - the great Scottish architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson.
    Scottish,19th Century.

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    Width Height Depth
    15"
    38 cms
    17 1116"
    45 cms
    15 38"
    39 cms
  • Stock: 16399

    A grand terracotta style composition garden urn in the form of the Warwick Vase, after the antique popularised by 18th century collectors. This piece is large in size and a beautifully modelled copy of the Roman original, and can be displayed both outside and in.

    English, mid 20th century.

    Notes: The Warwick Vase was excavated from Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli in 1771 by Gavin Hamilton, and dates to the second century AD. Hamilton sold the vase to his nephew, the 2nd Earl of Warwick, who built a specially commissioned conservatory in the grounds of Warwick Castle to house it.

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    Width Height
    22 1316"
    58 cms
    19 1116"
    50 cms

    Listed Price: £2,800 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16527

    A good pair of large and decorative Egyptian Revival obelisks in Ashburton marble, with incised hieroglyphics in gilt, and Belgian black marble bases. A statement for a mantelpiece or table.

    English, late 19th century.

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    Width Height Depth
    Each 5 78"
    15 cms
    21 18"
    53.6 cms
    4 316"
    10.7 cms

    Listed Price: £2,200 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16499

    A large Parian ware figure of Omphale after a model by Antonio Canova. The Lydian Queen is depicted seated on a throne in the antique style, with a lion's pelt on her head as she leans against Heracles' club.

    French, mid-19th century.

    Notes: In Greek mythology, Omphale was the daughter of Jardanos and Queen of Lydia after her marriage to Tmolos, an early Lydian king. After his death, she continued to rule alone. She bought Heracles out of slavery and he served her for three years, and she bore him a son, Lamos.

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    Width Height Depth
    9 58"
    24.5 cms
    14 1316"
    37.5 cms
    5 38"
    13.8 cms

    Listed Price: £1,200 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15642

    A pair of grand Renaissance Revival ewers in alabaster. The magnificent handles are models as phoenixes perching on the rib of the slender ewers, which are beautifully carved with acanthus leaves and ribbon tied posies.

    Italian, mid-19th century.

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    Width Height Depth
    6 14"
    16 cms
    24 316"
    61.5 cms
    9 18"
    23 cms

    Listed Price: £950 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16302

    A signed bronze patinated plaster figure of Venus holding a torch, signed by Humphrey Hopper (1777-1841). The figure holds a torch aloft whilst also holding drapery about her body, as one foot rests on a jar, and her body rests against a Roman style dolphin.
    Could be wired if desired. See 15536 for Hopper's model of a Vestal Virgin.

    Notes: Humphrey Hopper (1765-1844) started his career as a stonemason. At the age of 36 he entered the Royal Academy Schools to study sculpture. He was a successful student, winning a silver medal in December 1802. Part of his output at the time was tasteful decorative work in plaster. This included graceful, classical nymphs and vestals designed to hold lamps, such as this piece.

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    Width Height Depth
    Overall 17 1116"
    45 cms
    48 1316"
    124 cms
    17 1116"
    45 cms

    Listed Price: £2,500 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16231

    A beautifully modelled terracotta figural group after Constant Roux, depicting the drunken Silenus on a donkey, accompanied by two maenads and two putti, all draped in the vestiges of a Bacchic procession, a discarded thyrsus at the foot of the donkey. These scene stands on a well modelled plinth, decorated with a bound laurel border. Signed Roux, and initialled GC.
    French, mid 19th century.

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    Width Height Depth
    20 78"
    53 cms
    20 78"
    53 cms
    12 58"
    32 cms

    Listed Price: £2,700 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15910

    An exceptional pair of large alabaster lidded vases in the manner of Lorenzo Bartolini (1777-1850). The lidded urns of baluster form, are finely carved from translucent alabaster the body of the vase depicting classical scenes, the lids topped with a fruiting finial, resting on the slender everted necks with egg and dart rim.
    Italian, c.1820, with restorations.

    Notes: Lorenzo Bartolini was born in Tuscany and studied in Florence and at the Officina Inghirami in Volterra, a workshop established in 1791 which produced alabaster sculpture and objects in the neoclassical style for Grand Tourist and other wealthy patrons. In 1797 he moved to Paris, where he became a close friend of Ingres and the favoured sculptor of Napoléon, who sent him to Carrara in 1807 to direct the Academy of Sculpture. Later he settled in Florence, where his Grand Tour patrons included Thomas Hope and the 6th Duke of Devonshire.

    Lorenzo Bartolini began his career on high quality decorative urns and tazzi for visiting grand tourists. A series of 19 sketches with designs for such vases was published.

    Diameter Height
    14 1316"
    37.5 cms
    44 12"
    113 cms
    with wooden base 48 38"
    123 cms
  • Stock: 16269

    A fine alabaster figure of Ariadne and the Panther, after the marble sculpture by Johann Heinrich Dannecker, which was one of the most renowned works of sculpture of the nineteenth-century, drawing huge crowds to view it in Frankfurt, in the "Ariadneum" built solely for its display.
    It depicts the Cretan princess Ariadne, wife of the god of wine Dionysus (identified by her crown of vine leaves), seated on a panther in a relaxed pose. The panther was a creature associated with the god of wine.

    English, c.1860.

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    Width Height Depth
    External 10 58"
    27 cms
    11 1316"
    30 cms
    3 78"
    10 cms
  • Stock: 16243

    A large Continental carved gilt wood panel the central carved aromorial cartouche surrounded by carved acanthus leaves and vines, on a blue painted background.
    French, mid-18th century.

    This panel would look stunning over a fireplace, or even mounted on the ceiling.

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    Width Height
    53 12"
    136 cms
    67 14"
    171 cms
  • Stock: 16249

    A fine and large French terracotta figure by Mandeville-Bernier (1905-1935). The figure is beautifully modelled in the neoclassical style, with exquisitely rendered hair and drapery.
    This figure can be displayed either outside or in, and possibly could be used as a fountain.
    French, c.1905.

    Notes: Stamped with the manufacturer’s mark, statue was made by Mandeville Pottery based in Castelnaudary (Aude) in the south of France, a famous company of its time. From 1880, the company evolved, using the name ‘Mandeville-Combeleran’ on it’s works. This was to be followed by ‘Mandeville-Bernier’ in 1905 until the company’s closure in 1935.

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    Width Height Depth
    12 316"
    31 cms
    38 316"
    97 cms
    11 1316"
    30 cms
  • Stock: 4506

    A weathered carved stone bust of Moliere, the 17th century French playwright (1622 - 1673) looking to dexter.
    French, circa 1720.

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    width height
    21"
    53.3 cms
    25"
    63.5 cms
  • Stock: 16130

    Psyche Abandoned

    A rare Italian sculpture depicting Psyche, attributed to the Italian sculptor, Pietro Tenerani.

    Pietro Tenerani (1798-1869) was a sculptor perhaps best known for his neoclassical works of the early nineteenth-century. He trained under Lorenzo Bartolini at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara and with his uncle Pietro Marchetti, where he learnt how to polish and finish marble. After his early training, he won a scholarship to Rome in 1815, where he entered the studio of Bertel Thorvaldsen, considered one of the great masters of the age. He worked together with Thorvaldsen on several illustrious commissions, and soon set up his own studio. Among Tenerani’s illustrious patrons were William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, Queen Victoria, and Pope Pius IX.

    In 1816, Tenerani produced his first model of Psyche Abandoned under his own name, a beautifully finished work in plaster. This work transcended the more rigidly neoclassical style of the period, and instead bore the naturalism of an earlier age. It was soon acquired by the noblewoman and patron of the arts Marchesa Carlotta de’ Medici Lenzoni for her private collection. The sculpture was subsequently entered into an exhibition at the Palazzo Caffarelli in Rome, where many collectors admired and praised it for its naturalism and beauty. As a result of the exhibition, some admirers of this work requested copies to be made. It is likely that our own copy of this first work was made shortly after the exhibition; it wasn’t uncommon for a much-admired work to have copies made in both plaster and in marble. Many collectors even favoured the plaster originals, understanding that in many cases the marble versions were carved by workshop assistants rather than the master. It was Antonio Canova who popularised the practice of creating a finished work in plaster, giving the work of the marble carving to his assistants. Canova would then step in at the final stages of carving, to add his own hand to the finer details.

    Tenerani’s depiction of the young Psyche captured the imagination of Italian society, but the myth of the young princess and her lover had been enjoyed since antiquity. Their story is one of the interplay between the Soul and Desire. Psyche is the personification of the soul and conveys its vulnerability when met with the tempestuous and transient nature of desire, here embodied by the deity Cupid. If Psyche and Cupid’s story concerns the soul and desire, then their ultimate union should be considered one of fate. Their story is told by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses, written in the 2nd century AD and broadly follows this narrative: Cupid’s mother, the Goddess of love Aphrodite, was driven into a fury when she discovered that her worshippers were neglecting her and instead making offerings to a young and beautiful princess, Psyche. In her rage, Aphrodite demanded that her son Cupid make Psyche fall in love with an unworthy man as a punishment for her beauty. However, Cupid is scratched by his own arrow and falls in love with Psyche himself.

    They marry, yet Cupid tells his bride to never look at him, lest she be injured if she settled her gaze on a God. She complies until one evening she can no longer resist temptation, and she casts a light over her sleeping beloved with a lamp. He wakes, and in his fury at her betrayal, flees. Psyche is inconsolable and approaches the God’s mother Aphrodite and appeals to her to reunite them. She is set a series of impossible tasks by the Goddess, and when she fails the final task, at Cupid’s request the other Gods take mercy on her granting her immortality so the lovers can be reunited.

    Apuleius’ story is a lesson about finding balance between matters of the body and spirit, to live in harmony. Cupid and Psyche were represented not only in this tale, but in much earlier Hellenistic Art too, which makes Tenerani the perfect master for this work.

    His sculpture captures the moment in which Psyche’s beloved departs in a rage, leaving her alone. She sits on a rock, her youth emphasised in the modelling of her body and face. Her face in downcast, and her anguish is sensed not only in her expression but also in her posture. In this sculpture, Tenerani has captured the essence of the Hellenistic sculpture that he so revered at this stage of his career. Archaeological excavations in Rome had revealed ancient copies of sculptures from Greece and set the standard to which to aspire.

    The drapery over her legs is reminiscent of Hellenistic sculpture insofar as it has weight to it, a quality that the eighteenth-century scholar Johann Winckelmann described as a “wet look”. Carving and modelling of this quality is indicative of a master, and this detail allowed the Tenerani to showcase his skill as a sculpture independent from his master.

    In this version of the sculpture, Psyche is depicted without wings. It wasn’t unusual to find Psyche represented this way, as sculptures of this quality were commissioned by or intended for an audience who would find the subject immediately recognisable. Pietro Tenerani’s first sculpture of Psyche dated to 1817 does shows her with wings and is also modelled in plaster. Both sculptures are the same size and possess an almost identical finish, where the top layer of the plaster has been toned to give it a patina and both also display a very fine level of finish, so this work is to be regarded as a finished sculpture rather than mere modello. It is perhaps most interesting to consider how the composition developed over time in the hands of its master.

    Tenerani’s Psyche Abandoned is considered one of the most revered sculptures of the nineteenth-century, so we are honoured to have such a fine version in our collection.

    Width Height Depth
    21 14"
    54 cms
    44 78"
    114 cms
    20 12"
    52 cms
  • Stock: 15877

    A rare set of plaster intaglios by Nathaniel Marchant. Originally, this set of casts of Nathaniel's gems was sold by subscription with the accompanying catalogue, published in 1792. It is rare to have a collection of any great quantity, this set is complete, bar four intaglios which are not present. They are mounted within their original ebony strung, mahogany case, which is glazed and fashioned as a book, complete with remnants of marbling. When the spine is removed, the interior is revealed.
    Complete sets are exceptionally rare, and one set is held at the John Soane Museum, purchased by Soane in 1793.

    English, c.1792.

    Nathaniel Marchant (1739-1816) was arguably the most famous gem engraver of the 18th century, prolific in both Italy and England. He was gem sculptor to the Prince of Wales and engraver to The King.

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    Width Height Depth
    Closed 10"
    25.5 cms
    15 38"
    39 cms
    1 1316"
    4.6 cms
    Opened 19 38"
    49.4 cms
    15 38"
    39 cms
  • Stock: 16082

    A fine late 19th century Neapolitan patinated bronze figure of the Venus de Medici after the antique. Likely cast by the Fonderia Sommer, Naples. The Fonderia Sommer offered three different types of patination on their bronzes, as this exmaple features the "Herculaneum Patination", which shows a level of patina and verdigris often seen on ancient bronzes.
    Italian, c.1870.

    Notes: The Venus de' Medici or Medici Venus is a monumental Hellenistic marble sculpture depicting the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite dating from the 1st-century BC. The sculpture was originally recorded in 1638 at the Medici Villa, Rome and is now in the Uffizi in Florence, Italy.

    The Sommer Foundry was one of the main Neopolitan foundries that manufactured Grand Tour bronzes for the grand-tourists of the nineteenth-century. Giorgio Sommer was a German photographer and artisan and started the foundry in the 1870s.

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    Width Height Depth
    9 18"
    23 cms
    30 1116"
    78 cms
    9 38"
    24 cms

    Listed Price: £3,400 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16069

    A terracotta group of Ariadne and the Panther, after the marble sculpture by Johann Heinrich Dannecker, which was one of the most renowned works of sculpture of the nineteenth-century, drawing huge crowds to view it in Frankfurt, in the "Ariadneum" built solely for its display. It depicts the Cretan princess Ariadne, wife of the god of wine Dionysus, seated on a panther in a relaxed pose. The panther was a creature associated with the god of wine, and here, his wreath of vine leaves emphasizes his connection with the deity.
    L Hjorth Factory, Danish, c.1880.

    Provenance: Coleridge Collection. Anthony Coleridge was well-known in auction circles, a Director of Christie's as well as Chairman and later President of Christie’s South Kensington. He was a keen collector, not just of furniture, but in particular of works of art and ceramics, and he looked after his collection meticulously and recorded it in considerable detail.

    Notes: Johann Heinrich Dannecker(1758-1841), a German sculptor who found that the works of classical antiquity made a deep impression on him, as well as the work of Antonio Canova.

    The Hjorth Factory was located in Roenne on Bornholm, and island off Denmark, and was founded in 1859.

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    Width Height Depth
    7 12"
    19 cms
    8 18"
    20.5 cms
    3 38"
    8.6 cms
  • Stock: 16068

    A Parian Ware group of Ariadne and the Panther, after the marble sculpture by Johann Heinrich Dannecker, which was one of the most renowned works of sculpture of the nineteenth-century, drawing huge crowds to view it in Frankfurt, in the "Ariadneum" built solely for its display. It depicts the Cretan princess Ariadne, wife of the god of wine Dionysus (identified by her crown of vine leaves), seated on a panther in a relaxed pose. The panther was a creature associated with the god of wine.

    English, c.1860. Although this example of Parian Ware is unmarked it is the same model produced by Minton & Co in 1847 until the 1860s for Summerly’s Art Manufactures. The model - by John Bell (1811-1895) was available as tourist souvenirs.

    Provenance: Coleridge Collection. Anthony Coleridge was well-known in auction circles, a Director of Christie's as well as Chairman and later President of Christie’s South Kensington. He was a keen collector, not just of furniture, but in particular of works of art and ceramics, and he looked after his collection meticulously and recorded it in considerable detail.

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    Width Height Depth
    6 14"
    16 cms
    7 316"
    18.4 cms
    3 12"
    8.9 cms

    Listed Price: £380 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15969

    A pair of Italian giltwood wall brackets. These are perfect for use as a decoration, or for displaying sculpture and ceramics. Italian, c.1950.

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    Width Height Depth
    9 38"
    24 cms
    9 38"
    24 cms
    5 14"
    13.5 cms

    Listed Price: £640 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 16016

    A pair of 18th century statuary marble chimneypiece tablets. English , c.1770.

    Width Height
    7 78"
    20 cms
    9 18"
    23 cms

    Listed Price: £1,800 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15968

    A pair of gilt gesso wall plaques in the Baroque style. These wall plaques depict winged putti and were likely hung in a chapel or church.

    Italian, 20th century.

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    Width Height
    12 58"
    32 cms
    11"
    28 cms

    Listed Price: £550 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15912

    A large and very finely carved figure of Venus Sortant du Bain, or Venus emerging from her bath. This subject has been immensely popular since classical antiquity, and depicts the Goddess drying herself whilst resting her foot on a rock. This statue would look marvelous on a column or plinth.

    This sculpture is after the example made by the French sculptor Christophe-Gabriel Allegrain (French, 1710-1795) for Louis XV in 1755. It was later revered at the Salon of 1767 as a masterpiece. This is now at the Louvre.

    French, c.1850.

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    Width Height Depth
    10 58"
    27 cms
    34 58"
    88 cms
    14 58"
    37 cms
  • Stock: 15911

    A near life size carved marble figure of the Crouching Venus. This late 19th century copy of the iconic Hellenistic original bases its form on the crouching Venus on permanent display at the British Museum. It depicts the Goddess Venus at her bath, startled and shielding her nudity.
    Italian in origin, this statue would likely have been made for a wealthy buyer enjoying their Grand Tour in Italy.

    Italian, c.1890.

    Notes: The subject of the Crouching Venus was explored by various sculptors in the Roman period, based on the Hellenistic statue of the same subject attributed to Doidalsas (200-100 B.C.)

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    Width Height Depth
    18 18"
    46 cms
    35 38"
    90 cms
    18 18"
    46 cms

    Listed Price: £22,000 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15903

    A rare 19th century marble statue of the muse Terpsichore, after Antonio Canova. Terpsichore was the muse of creative inspiration, and here she is identified by the lyre on which she leans.

    Canova was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte's brother to create this idealised portrait of his wife Alexandrine de Bleschamp as Terpsichore. The commission was then acquired by Giovanni Battista Sommariva, a politician and notable patron of the arts. Under his patronage, the sculpture was no longer required to resemble Alexandrine and so the sensual sculpture took on the deified form of the muse. He collected three marble sculptures by Canova for his villa and also acquired the plaster model for Terpsichore so it could not be reproduced whilst under his ownership. Sommariva sent the sculpture to Paris in 1813, where is was exhibited at the Salon to great acclaim.
    Copies of this statue are very rare.

    French, late 19th century. Carved from pure white statuary marble. With restorations.

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    Width Height Depth
    14 1316"
    37.5 cms
    33 12"
    85 cms
    9 1316"
    25 cms

    Listed Price: £18,000 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15778

    A large Italian school carrara marble sculpture depicting a sleeping nymph. The finely carved sculpture is reminiscent of a depiction of Sleeping Ariadne, popularised by the Roman copy of the Hellenistic original, the former being housed at the Vatican. Reclining on rocks, the sleeping nymph is shown draped only below the waist, and her finely modelled form is exemplified by the delicacy of her fingers.
    Italian, early 19th century.

    Before restoration.

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    Width Height Depth
    28 1116"
    73 cms
    14 58"
    37 cms
    11 1316"
    30 cms

    Listed Price: £7,500 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15764

    A rare Scottish 19th century alabaster bust of Sir Walter Scott, after the original by Sir Francis Chantrey. The bust depicts Scott with an intelligent gaze, a lowland plaid over his shoulders.
    Scottish, c.1840.

    Photograph before restoration.

    Notes: Chantrey's original bust was made in 1820 and given to Scott in 1828 'as a token of esteem'. Scott wrote to his wife on 20 March 1820, 'Chantrey's bust is one of the finest things he ever did. It is quite the fashion to go to see it - there's for you' (J. G. Lockhart, Life of Sir Walter Scott, III, p 377) Sir Francis Chantrey's 1820 bust of Sir Walter Scott portrays the author with his head turned slightly to the right and a Lowland plaid arranged round his shoulders as in this rare copy. James Hogg wrote that 'Sir Walter Scott in his study, and in his seat in the Parliament-house, had rather a dull, heavy appearance, but in company his countenance was always lighted up, and Chantrey has given the likeness of him there precisely' (Domestic Manners of Sir Walter Scott, p. 113.).

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    Width Height Depth
    13"
    33 cms
    20 12"
    52 cms
    8 1116"
    22 cms
  • Stock: 15782

    A 19th century terracotta figure of an angel, possibly the archangel Uriel holding an unfurling scroll. The angel is modelled very much in the manner of a Compton Pottery figure, yet the impressed monogram stamp to the base is undecipherable.
    English, c.1860.

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    Width Height Depth
    8 14"
    21 cms
    25 58"
    65 cms
    8 12"
    21.5 cms

    Listed Price: £850 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15809

    A very good quality Renaissance Revival 19th century bronze lidded urn. The urn is decorated with a Bacchic frieze, depicting a procession of Putti: some riding goats, some with instruments and others wearing tragic masks.
    French, c.1860.

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    Height
    12"
    30.5 cms

    Listed Price: £1,200 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 9191

    A pair Carrara marble plinths, carved in low relief, with lion masks, armorial shields and foliate motifs. Would work wonderfully as garden ornaments, or as plinths for urns or other statuary.
    Italian, 19th century.

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    Width Height Depth
    7 1316"
    19.8 cms
    35 38"
    90 cms
    7 18"
    18 cms

    Listed Price: £1,800 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15779

    A fine 19th century bust of Bacchus, or Dionysus. This bronze library bust is modelled on the Landsdowne Antinous - who has assumed the guise of Dionysus - and is mounted on a gilt socle and a bronze banded base cast in low relief with a classical procession.
    Italian, c.1890.

    Notes: Antinous, the lover and companion of Emperor Hadrian, had one of the most recognisable faces in the Roman Empire. After his sudden death 130 AD, the grief stricken Emperor declared the youth had been reborn as a God. Representations of Antinous assuming the form of a God flooded the visual culture of the Roman Empire, and the Lansdowne Antinous was a larger than life bust which became renowned for its idealised beauty and quality. Antinous' image was commonly asssimilated with the well-known Gods such as Apollo, Mercury and indeed Bacchus. This bust was excavated at Hadrian's villa at Tivoli, and was likely part of a shrine dedicated to the youth.

    Height
    13"
    33 cms
  • Stock: 15808

    An early 20th century large figurative lamp after Mathurin Moreau, cast in spelter with a patinated bronze finish. The elegant female figure, clad only in drapery, holds the flambeau torch aloft in a gesture not dissimilar to the pose adopted by the Statue of Liberty. The figure is mounted on a small verde antico marble base.
    French, c.1900.

    View our collection of: Antique candelabras, candlesticks and lamps

    Base Diameter Height Depth
    9 18"
    23 cms
    50 38"
    128 cms
    15 1116"
    40 cms

    Listed Price: £950 (+VAT where applicable)

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  • Stock: 15724

    A large and finely carved 19th century Italian marble lidded urn, decorated with trailing grape vines and and dramatic handles, modelled as grinning and horned satyrs. The body of the urn is carved with two cartouches, one depicting a nymph bathing in a pool whilst a satyr observes, hidden by bullrushes. The other depicts an a satyr and a goat in an amorous and playful embrace. After the antique.

    Italian, c.1850.

    Could be situated in a sheltered spot in a garden or courtyard, but equally suited to an interior setting.

    View our collection of: decorative antiques and furnishings

    Width Height Depth
    28"
    71 cms
    40"
    101.5 cms
    19 1116"
    50 cms
  • Stock: 15641

    A large and finely carved alabaster figure of a water carrier in classical drapery. The figure is very much after the antique, but more naturalistic than the earlier, grand tour alabaster figures.
    English, c.1860.

    Height
    20 1116"
    52.5 cms
112 items

Antique sculptures
Antique sculptures conjure the vision of ancient civilisations, the classical marble statues of Ancient Greece and Rome - harmonious and idealised - but they are varied in both their materials and their styles.

Antique bronze sculptures
Many ancient statues were copied by sculptors in the 18th century to sell as souvenirs for Grand Tourists. Antique bronze sculptures were popular, which may have been inspired by Greek sculptures that were cast in bronze and only later copied by the Romans in marble. Antique sculptures of this period were predominantly figurative and often represented these classical subjects.

Antique bronze sculptures also enjoyed a great revival in the Renaissance period, in Italy and France especially, the most renowned sculptor of this period being Cellini. His remarkable figurative work inspired many later sculptors to move away from classical poses and create works that were more flamboyant and dynamic. Antique bronze sculptures come in a range of sizes, so suit a variety of positions, whether a small occasional table, a plinth or a mantelpiece.

Antique marble statues
Marble statues enjoyed popularity from antiquity to the present day, from their beginnings as polychromed statues of the deities, they evolved to embody the elegance of many ages, immortalising Kings and Queens, Gods and Goddesses. The beauty of antique marble sculptures is often the way the marble has been selected to represent the form, where the veins of the stone are utilised to emphasise the curves of a body or a natural form. Marble also absorbs light, giving the statue an almost lifelike glow in a way that stone statues of the same subject can’t.

Antique wood carvings
In Europe, antique wood carvings were most commonly found in ecclesiastic settings during the medieval period, but eventually became desirable in private homes. Antique oak carvings from the Victorian period were often inspired by these medieval, 16th and 17th century carvings, and decorative adornments were added over doorways, on ceilings, staircases and wall brackets. Antique wood carvings and sculpture were sometimes polychromed, or painted, to give the carving a lifelike quality.

If you are looking for antique sculptures, London is without doubt a great place to look. From the inspiration of our great galleries and museums, to our showroom, the Capital offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of sculpture and carving.