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19452
A Large Venetian Sculpture of the Bacchanal By Michelangelo Guggenheim
A Large Venetian Sculpture of the Bacchanal By Michelangelo Guggenheim
Dimensions: H: 82 in / 208 cm | W: 19.5 in / 50 cm
PRICE: £35,000
19452
A Large Venetian Sculpture of the Bacchanal
By Michelangelo Guggenheim
Carved from a stained and patinated pine typical of the best Venetian sculptor’s workshops, this sculptural group of Cherubs depicts the children’s bacchanal, all three nude figures holding drinking cups and perched atop a flowing wine barrel in a pyramidal configuration. On its original hexagonal carved pedestal bearing ribbon-tied flowers and coat of arms. The underside stamped ‘Fabrica Mobili Artistici / M. Guggenheim / Venezia.’
Michelangelo Guggenheim of Venice (1837
Born to German parents in Venice, Michelangelo Guggenheim became one of the city’s most successful sculptors and dealers, expanding the business he inherited into a veritable empire based from the Palazzo Balbi on the Grand Canal and counting no less than three workshops. Not only a highly skilled and creative artist, Michelangelo was a respected academic publishing on the matter of antique woodwork and Renaissance frames. He participated in the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna, as well as those in Milan in 1881, Venice in 1887 and Paris in 1889, presenting a selection of carved furniture & sculpture alongside bronzes and stone statuary.
Children’s bacchanal
The bacchanal is a mythological lively celebration inspired by the ancient god of wine –Bacchus. Although this Pagan festival ended with the Roman Empire, depictions of the bacchanalia could be seen on ancient buildings, and Renaissance artists continued depicting the bacchanalia in art, often with Christian undertones. The children’s bacchanal is much rarer in art and is perhaps most famously known from Michelangelo’s 1533 drawing for a young Roman nobleman. It is considered one of Michelangelo’s finest drawings and is now in the English Royal Collection.
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