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ID #SA1243564
FOR SALE
£3,500
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Rare Grand Tour Marble Bust of the Vatican Satyr
For sale by Cella
for sale €4,095     $4,445
£3,500
Cella

Cella

Sellingantiques Verified Since May 2019
Browse dealers 79 items
  • About Us
    Specialists in the grand tour and french decorative objects, clocks and furniture, circa 1780-1880.
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Id #SA1243564
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Rare Grand Tour Marble Bust of the Vatican Satyr

19th century
For Sale by Cella
Description

Rare early 19th century statuary white marble bust of the 'Testa di satiro sorridente' or smiling satyr after the antique Hellenistic original in the Chiaramonti gallery in the Vatican Museum in Rome. Number 7 in the gallery of hundreds of busts. Another surviving ancient example of this bust, said to have been restored by Antonio Canova, was once in the Borghese Collection and the Walters Art Gallery. Other similar examples include a full length depiction of a laughing satyr which can be seen in the Octagonal Courtyard in the Vatican. This exuberant smiling satyr is depicted with two bunches of ivy berries in his hair. Originally from a garden in Portugal where it had been for many years this bust has a lovely almost matt slightly weathered finish. Set on ebonised scholastic wooden socle. Italy, probably Rome, circa 1830.

Date of Manufacture

Cella has dated this Grand Tour Marble Bust to the 19th Century.

Independent Date Check ID 09704948
Dealer's Item Date19th Century
Sellingantiques Date19th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 145-210 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 19TH CENTURY:
White statuary marble: hand-carved crystalline stone with deep undercutting in the hair.
Softly modelled facial anatomy: typical of early 19th-century Italian Neoclassical sculpture.
Weathered matt surface: natural mellowing from long standing in an outdoor setting.
Turned ebonised socle: traditional mounting for 19th-century Grand Tour study busts.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions
Height
42cm (16.54")
Width
20cm (7.87")
Depth
21.5cm (8.46")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1243564
Dealers Internal Reference
CA822
Dealers Notes

Based in London, we are dealers in fine decorative antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries. We specialise in this era of enlightenment, neoclassicism and the Grand Tour, with its far reaching influence on style and taste in Britain, Continental Europe and beyond: elegance in the age of Napoleon. Our extensive stock covers all aspects of this period and decorative antiques influenced by the period. We constantly source new, beautiful items and upload to our site regularly. We are first and foremost antique collectors with over thirty years of experience; we only buy what we love and we hope you will too. Additional images can be supplied on request. More items are available on our website http://www.cellantiques.co.uk. We ship worldwide.

Description
Rare early 19th century statuary white marble bust of the 'Testa di satiro sorridente' or smiling satyr after the antique Hellenistic original in the Chiaramonti gallery in the Vatican Museum in Rome. Number 7 in the gallery of hundreds of busts.
“
Another surviving ancient example of this bust, said to have been restored by Antonio Canova, was once in the Borghese Collection and the Walters Art Gallery.
Cella

Other similar examples include a full length depiction of a laughing satyr which can be seen in the Octagonal Courtyard in the Vatican. This exuberant smiling satyr is depicted with two bunches of ivy berries in his hair. Originally from a garden in Portugal where it had been for many years this bust has a lovely almost matt slightly weathered finish. Set on ebonised scholastic wooden socle. Italy, probably Rome, circa 1830.

Date of Manufacture

Cella has dated this Grand Tour Marble Bust to the 19th Century.

Independent Date Report ID 09704948
Dealer's Item Date19th Century
Sellingantiques dating19th Century
Sellingantiques agingItem 145-210 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 19th Century:
White statuary marble: hand-carved crystalline stone with deep undercutting in the hair.
Softly modelled facial anatomy: typical of early 19th-century Italian Neoclassical sculpture.
Weathered matt surface: natural mellowing from long standing in an outdoor setting.
Turned ebonised socle: traditional mounting for 19th-century Grand Tour study busts.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
42cm (16.54")
Width
20cm (7.87")
Depth
21.5cm (8.46")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1243564
Dealers Internal Ref
CA822
Cella
Cella
Sellingantiques verified Since May 2019

Specialists in the grand tour and french decorative objects, clocks and furniture, circa 1780-1880.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Cella Profile Page

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A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base.
1 / 7
Archive I A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base.

Rare Grand Tour Marble Bust of the Vatican Satyr

Archive II A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base. View II
Archive III A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base. View III
Archive IV A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base. View IV
Archive V A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base. View V
Archive VI A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base. View VI
Archive VII A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base. View VII
Enlarged Archival View
Cella

Cella
Telephone 020 8299 4945
Location
London
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/cellantiques
Verified Since May 2019
Items For Sale 79
Items Sold 306
Cella
Cella
Verified Since May 2019
View Dealer Info
Location: London, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/cellantiques
Verified
May 2019
For Sale
79
Sold
306
A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base.
Rare Grand Tour marble bust of the Vatican Satyr
Ref: SA1243564
A carved white marble bust depicting a smiling classical satyr head mounted on a round black marble base.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectSculptural Busts
  • Period19th century
  • StyleGrand Tour
  • MaterialWhite Marble, Black Marble
  • ColourWhite
  • MotifsSmiling facial expression, Carved hair curls, Turned circular socle
  • SizeH 42 cm (17 in) x W 20 cm (8 in) x D 21.5 cm (8 in)

This 19th-century Grand Tour sculptural bust depicts a smiling classical satyr head. Modelled after the antique Hellenistic original in the Vatican Museum, the piece is carved from white marble with a matt, slightly weathered finish and mounted on a turned circular black marble socle. Notable visual details include sculpted hair curls, two bunches of ivy berries adorning the top of the head, and an expressive smiling facial expression. The bust measures 42 cm high, 20 cm wide, and 21.5 cm deep. Display this piece in a gentleman's library or on a mantelpiece as a classic decorative accent. The neutral white and black palette complements traditional and transitional interiors alike, bringing historical character to a shelf, console table, or desk surface.

FAQs

Grand Tour marble busts are eighteenth and nineteenth-century sculpted portraits created in Italy as educational souvenirs for European aristocracy visiting historic classical sites.

These sculptures were typically hand-carved from white statuary marble, such as Carrara marble, and mounted onto turned marble or stone socles.

Authentic period examples exhibit hand-chiselled tooling marks in unpolished recessed areas, subtle surface patination, and traditional pin jointing to the base socle.

A carved marble bust works effectively as a focal point when placed on a fireplace mantelpiece, bookshelf, or sideboard alongside books and dark wood surfaces.

Dust regularly using a soft, dry microfibre cloth or soft-bristled brush, and avoid acidic, harsh chemical, or water-saturated cleaners that can etch natural stone.
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