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417 - Giuseppe Croff (1810-1869) Venus and Adonis White marble gro…
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Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
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Description
Giuseppe Croff (1810-1869) Venus and Adonis White marble group Resting on a naturalist-style terrace and oval marble pedestal; signed "G.CROFF"; with a carved wooden base, partly gilded and painted in imitation porphyry. H. 81 cm (31 ¾ in.) l. 70 cm (27 ½ in.) Dimensions (base): H. 80 cm (31 ½ in.) l. 72,5 cm (28 ½ in.) P. 46.5 cm (18 ¼ in.) Comparative bibliography: A. Panzetta, Nuovo Dizionario degli scultori italiani dell'ottocento e del primo novecento, vol. I, Borgaro, 2003, pp. 233 and 299, fig. 572. A white marble group by Giuseppe Croff (1810-1869) depicting Venus and Adonis Giuseppe Croff (1810-1869), a nineteenth-century sculptor from Milan, studied at the Accademia di Brera with Camillo Pacetti and Pompeo Marchesi, major figures in Neoclassicism. His work was part of this tradition, in which he adopted the ideals of harmony and beauty, while exploring greater formal freedom in his marble compositions. His most famous work, The Veiled Nun, now in Washington (2014.136.265), is a perfect illustration of his technical virtuosity. This bust depicts a nun whose face seems concealed beneath a veil of striking finesse. Croff's subtle use of marble creates an illusion of transparency, revealing the features of the face and conferring a great delicacy on the whole. The group of Venus and Adonis seems to be inspired by Antonio Canova's compositions, in particular Venus and Mars (Royal Collection, London) and the Three Graces (in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh), from which it takes the elegance of the lines and the balance of the figures. Our group retains its finely sculpted and polished surface, as evidenced in particular by the smooth skin and finely sculpted curls and locks of the figures' hair. The work is in keeping with the neoclassical heritage, but is nuanced by a romantic sensibility perceptible in the softness of the expressions and the delicate modelling of the faces.
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About the sale Furniture and Works of Art - Sale of the day (Lot 171-Fin)
Auction location
Auction time 06/17/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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