Imposing C19th Italian 'Grand Tour' Souvenir Carved Serpentine Marble Sculpture Group ,After the Antique, of "The Uffizi Wrestlers"

Imposing C19th Italian 'Grand Tour' souvenir carved serpentine marble sculpture group ,after the antique, of "The Uffizi Wrestlers" . Exceptional quality carved marble group of good scale ,after the original now housed in the Tribuna of the Uffizi Gallery ,Florence ,Italy.

The Roman marble group thought to be modelled after the lost Greek bronze original ,of 3rd century BCE , was discovered in 1583 near Porta S.Giovanni, Rome . Purchased by Cardinal Ferdinando de'Medici , formerly housed at the Villa Medici in Rome before moving to Florence in 1677. In 1800 it was removed together with other treasures to Palermo to escape the French , being returned to the Tribuna in 1803.

Also known as 'The Two Wrestlers' or 'The Pancrastinae' , the group depicts the two young men engaged in a type of martial art combat called Pankration. Their muscular structure is very defined and exaggerated due to their physical and sustained effort. Copies of this iconic sculpture have been reproduced in both marble and bronze both full-size and miniature. Phillipe Magnier produced a marble group c .1684 for the gardens of Versailles, later moved to Marly ,now in the Louvre, Paris.

The group here is carved from a single block of Italian green serpentine marble, with a highly-polished finish to the figured stone . 'Verde Prato' serpentine stone has been quarried near to Prato , North-west of Florence , for centuries. The base is rusticated to portray the earth on which they fight.

Excellent original condition and colour .

Minor historic repairs.

A master class of the marble carvers oeuvre.

A bronze cast of the group by Soldani Benzi of Florence , can be found in the formal garden of Blenheim Palace ,Oxfordshire , England.

H 14"

W 14"

D 6"

Italy c.1880

(For a similar example see Christie's "Claudio Bravo Collection" Sale no. 12938 13/07/2016 Lot no. 11 £6000 )

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