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383 - An Athenian style planter, in patinated and gilt bronze, the…
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Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
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Description
An Athenian style planter, in patinated and gilt bronze, the circular bowl decorated with a frieze of palmettes resting on swan protomes, supported by a tripod hocked base with a silene mask and a triangular base; (minor restorations). Consulate period. H: 95.5 cm, D: 49 cm Related work: -Osenat sale. The Empire at Fontainebleau. 10 December 2023 n°43. This type of Athenian, some variants of which are adorned with sphinxes instead of swans with outstretched wings, was directly inspired by the famous tripod from the Temple of Isis at Herculaneum, published as an engraving by the Comte de Caylus in the late 1750s. This famous antique, now preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Naples (inv.72995), also has a triangular plan, a hocked base with lion's claws and a circular basin, although the main figures are sphinxes rather than swans. A variation even closer to the antique model can be found in an Athenian formerly in the collection of Luigi Laura (sale Paris, Sotheby's, 27 June 2001, lot 99). Iconographically, it is interesting to note the representation of an almost identical Athenian woman, but entirely in gilded bronze, in the famous painting by Jacques Louis David dated 1788. This comparison suggests that the model may have been dated relatively early, probably as early as the late 1780s. Les amours de Pâris et d'Hélene by Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825), Musée du Louvre, detail.
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About the sale The Empire at Fontainebleau - Second day
Auction location
Auction time 06/21/2026 at 10:30 AM
Lot description modified on 06/10/2026 at 9:55 AM
Pictures credits:
Michel Bury and Henri du Cray
See original version (French)
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