Large Mid C19th Italian ‘Grand Tour’ Souvenir Bronze Sculpture, After the Antique, of Silenus Cradling the Infant Bacchus.

Large mid C19th Italian ‘Grand Tour’ souvenir bronze sculpture, after the antique, of Silenus cradling the Infant Bacchus.

Good large-scale bronze reduction of the sculptural group regarded as one of the masterpieces of antiquity, originally carved in marble by Praxiteles, a renowned Ancient Greek Attic sculptor. In Greek mythology Silenus is known as the chief of the satyrs, a troup of male companions of Pan and Dionysus who roamed the woods and mountains. He is depicted holding his foster son , Bacchus, the Roman god of wine , who is crowned with grapes leaves.

In the mid 16th century a large marble statue was discovered in Rome , a Roman copy of a bronze work by the famous Greek sculptor Lysippos , which had been lost . The statue now preserved and exhibited at the Louvre. Paris , France , presents Silenus as an elderly hero lovingly holding the infant Bacchus in his arms. Cardinal Ferdinando de Medici obtained permission to have a cast made in bronze from the original marble work , of which this work offered here is a copy.

Well-defined casting with superb detail to the subjects , especially the facial features, musculature and vine-wrapped tree-trunk support.

In excellent original condition with a rich colour and patina, with only minor high-points.

An impressive large scale classical bronze sculpture of great presence .

The bronze Medici copy sculpture is exhibited in the Verone covered loggia over the river Arno at the Uffizi Museum, in Florence , Italy .

Bronze reduction casts such as this , were produced in Italy during the C18th and C19th as souvenirs for wealthy tourists and collectors completing the cultural ‘Grand Tour’ of the sites and sights of classical Europe.

H 24”

W 10”

D 9”

Italy c.1860

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