C19th Italian ‘Grand Tour’ Souvenir Verdigris Bronze Bust Study of Hypnos, God of Sleep, After the Antique Roman Version of the Ancient Greek Original.

C19th Italian ‘Grand Tour’ souvenir verdigris bronze bust study of Hypnos ,God of sleep , after the antique Roman version of the ancient Greek original.

Rarely seen bronze head of Hypnos cast after the Roman copy of the Hellenistic Greek original 4th century BC , School of Skopas, now exhibited in the British Museum , where it has been in the collection since 1868 .

The Roman head of Hypnos probably created in the first or second century CE , was excavated in Civitella d’Arno near Perugia , Italy, in the early nineteenth century .

Having an aged verdigris surface to the bronze , the whole mounted on a block and turned circular socle of scagliola imitating ‘verde antico’ marble . The face with a benign expression, the wing having well-cast detail to the feathers , whilst the hair is arranged in a series of locks some falling freely, others tied in a knot at the back of the God’s head . The wing making reference to his supposed ability to fan foreheads of the tired and induce sleep.

A highly decorative and evocative image and a rarely seen image, attributed to the foundry of Chiurazzi et Fils , Naples , Italy ( see attached photograph from their catalogue archive) .

*The bronze head of Hypnos the Greek God of sleep (known as Somnus to the Romans ) is depicted as a gentle, youthful figure with a wing on his temple symbolising his swift and ethereal nature. The son of Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness) , and father of Morpheus (the personification of dreams) Hypnos is the personification of sleep and the twin brother of Thanatos, the God of death .Their connection reflects the Ancient Greek belief that sleep is a temporary form of death , whilst death is an eternal sleep.

In excellent original condition.

*NB a photograph is shown above of an identical bronze bust of Hypnos in Villa San Michele , Anacapri on the island of Capri , Italy , built by the Swedish writer, philanthropist and physician Axel Munthe in the last quarter of the C19th .

**A further bronze copy is exhibited at the Museum of Classical Archeology, Faculty of Classics, Cambridge .

An interpretation of this bust in bronze by Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921) sold Christie’s London 17/6/ 2004 Lot no. 64 £38,240

A bronze study of Hypnos by James Pittendrigh Macgillivray (1856-1938) Christie’s London 17/01/ 2012 Lot no.247 £6000

Provenance: Private collection of a Worcestershire gentleman .

H 14”

W 16”

D 10”

Italy c.1880

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