How old are alabaster sculptures usually?

The dated field runs from 1800 to 1940, and 138 of the 207 listings carry a clean year. The largest single entry is the vague "19th Century", used on 52 listings, more than any precise decade. After that the weight sits in the 1900s, 1910s, 1920s and 1890s. A framed relief panel dated 1940 is the latest year in the archive.

Where were they made?

Italy dominates, named in 60 titles, with "Italian carved" alone accounting for 28. France follows at 26. Alabaster supported a large workshop trade in Italy from the 19th century, Tuscany in particular, producing figures, busts and reduced copies of famous statues for the tourist and export market. Only two titles name Derbyshire alabaster.

What is a Grand Tour alabaster?

A souvenir carved for travellers on the Continent, generally a reduction of a well-known monument or antique statue. The strand runs to 34 titles, about a sixth of the category. The subjects repeat rather than surprise: Medici lions, the Lion of Lucerne, Spinario, the Dying Gaul, the Farnese Hercules, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower and the Baptistery at Pisa.

Why do marble pieces appear alongside?

Marble is named in 38 titles. Some are alabaster figures on marble socles or bases, which is a standard combination. Others carry no alabaster in the title at all: library busts, portrait busts, a marble eagle, and bronze or spelter figures mounted on an alabaster base. Dealers file them together because of the mount or the base.

Are these sculptures signed?

Not often. Signatures are named in a small minority of titles. One name, Pugi, accounts for 16 of them across four dealers and is the only maker in the archive carried by more than a couple of sellers. Signed work sits in the upper part of the range.

How many come up for sale?

Around 20 reach the market in a year on Sellingantiques. Sixty-seven different dealers have listed one, which makes this a wide, shallow trade rather than the preserve of a few specialists.

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Antique Alabaster Sculptures

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Figures carved by hand in alabaster, a soft, faintly translucent stone, made for the drawing room and the export trade: female busts and standing figures above all, alongside souvenir reductions of famous statues and monuments.