AN ITALIAN MARBLE FIGURAL GROUP OF TWO NEIREDS, ON PEDESTAL

Born in 1861, Vittorio Caradossi studied sculpture under Augusto Rivalta (d. 1925) at the Accademia di Belle Arti. He was commissioned to execute a number of public monuments and is most remembered for his celebrated statue of the Renaissance artist Desiderio da Settignano, the model for which was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.

In contrast to his municipal works, Caradossi specialized in depictions of celestial and ethereal nudes, such as the present group of intertwined Neireds. Caradossi's extraordinary skill is further evident in the sense of uninhibited movement the composition so clearly achieves. Hewn from a single block of Carrara marble, this technically accomplished group most closely mirrors the artist's celebrated depiction of Shooting Stars, an example of which sold at Sotheby's, New York, 8 November 2013, lot 114 ($689,000).