AFTER A MODEL BY GIAMBOLOGNA (1529–1608) - Pacing Bull

Study of a Satyr Bronze, cast using the lost-wax (cire perdue) method Italy, early 19th century 14 x 7 x 10 cm This evocative bronze sculpture represents a satyr, the half-human, h...

Cerberus Black painted stone Italy, 17th century Measures: 80 x 69 x 36cm (one head missing) Cerberus, cruel monster, fierce and strange, Through his wide threefold throat barks as a dog Over the multitude immers'd beneath. His eyes glare crimson, black his unctuous beard, His belly large, and claw'd the hands, with which He tears the spirits, flays them, and their limbs Piecemeal disparts (Dante, Inferno, Canto VI). Cerberus figure seated, in his role of ferocious guardian of the underworld; he shows a nervous musculature, an adherent skin which reveals the ribs, long and robust limbs; his heads are broad and the eyes set well apart. Painted in black to amplify his menacing look, the infernal guardian is depicted with his famous attributes, writhing his heads, growling and barking furiously. Cerberus, in Greek mythology, was the monstrous watchdog of the underworld – also known as the “hound of Hades” – preventing the dead from leaving, and making sure that those who entered never left. A child of Typhon and Echidna, he was part of a monstrous family, which included Orthus, the Lernaean Hydra, and the Chimaera as well. Only on three occasions Cerberus was tricked by visitors of Hades: Heracles did it with his strength, Orpheus with his music. In "The Inferno", Dante places Cerberus as the guardian of the third circle of Hell. With his three mouths, Dante saw Cerberus as a beast that was synonymous with the sin of Gluttony. Virgil gets past the monster by throwing mud in his three mouths, temporarily choking him. Very rare are the representations of Cerberus in ancient statuary...

Saint Crispin
Loire Valley, 16th century
tuffeau stone Height: 67 cm Provenance: Private French collection since the 1960s This fragmentary limestone sculpture represents Saint Cris...

Roman Lion's Protome Sandstone Gallo-Roman, 2nd century AD - 3rd century Provenance : Private Collection Prof. Giesen (Konstanz on Bodensee), pré 1945 Most likely from the Chateau a...

A contemporary bronze sculpture depicting a bull, with dark patina. Created with the traditional technique of the lost-wax (à la cire perdue) that allows a great precision and finesse in the details, this small bronze sculpture depicts a proud bull firmly standing on its four paws resting on a shaped base. Placed anywhere in a home, on a commode, buffet or console table, this cast bronze bull...

French Art Deco Bronze Sculpture – Roman Bull by Auguste Clésinger (1814–1883) Cast by Ferdinand Barbedienne Foundry – Reduction by Achille Collas France, 1858 This exquisite 19th-...

Unsigned figure of a standing bull.

Maurice Favre (1875-1915) A French bronze bull The lean body revealing the rib cage, with multiple folds of skin at the neck, chocolate-brown patina. Measures: Height 8 in. (20.32...