Live Auction 10701European Sculpture and Works of Art
A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE FIGURES OF BACCHUS AND AMPHITRITE
Lot 92 THE PROPERTY OF A NOBLEMAN

A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE FIGURES OF BACCHUS AND AMPHITRITE

AFTER MODELS BY LOUIS GARNIER AND MICHEL ANGUIER, FRENCH, CIRCA 1780

Closed8 December 2015

Price Realised

GBP 52,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE FIGURES OF BACCHUS AND AMPHITRITE
AFTER MODELS BY LOUIS GARNIER AND MICHEL ANGUIER, FRENCH, CIRCA 1780


Each on a white marble plinth with ormolu foliate scrollwork and bun feet decoration
14 3/8 and 14 1/8 in. (36.5 and 35.9 cm.) high; 17 ½ and 17 ¼ in. (44.4 and 43.7 cm.) high, overall

Purchased by Count Francis Esterhazy in the 1920s, traditionally from a sale by the Soviet government of works of art, and thence by descent.

Specialist note

In the 1920s, when the young Soviet government was short of foreign currency, they attempted to alleviate the problem by selling art from the collections of the former imperial family, the aristocracy, and museums. By family tradition, these bronzes were purchased in one of these sales, although documents of the period are incomplete, and it has not been possible to confirm the provenance to date.