A TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF A RIVER GOD

The figure previously belonged to Mario Ruspoli, 2nd Prince of Poggio Suasa (1867-1963). The origins of the family can be traced back to the Ruspoli of Florence in the 13th Century. In 1721 Pope Benedict XIII conferred to Francesco Maria Ruspoli the title of Principe Romano, for himself and his descendants, ad infinitum so the family could conserve the prestige of their ancestors. Francesco Maria bought the Palazzo Ruspoli in Rome from the Caetani family and was a great friend of the composer Georg Frideric Handel, who wrote and performed Salve Regina during his stay in the Palazzo.

Michael Inchbald's purchase of this terracotta from the late Prince Ruspoli's collection caused lively discussion at a dinner with the daughter of the late prince - Princess Francesca Ruspoli - in the late1960s, when the designer revealed that he was the owner of her old treasured possession.

The figure in the present lot is the almost exact same as in a model of a River God (A. Gonzales-Palacios, loc cit.) in biscuit porcelain by Filippo Tagliolini (fl 1781–1812) who worked at the Royal Porcelain Factory at Naples. Tagliolini used models after the antique as well as those of the most celebrated 'modern' sculptors, and therefore it is likely that the present model was well known in artistic circles in Italy by the end of the eighteenth century.