Terracotta Venus attributed to Peter Scheemakers.
Venus lying on a mattress, terracotta, attr. to Peter Scheemakers the Younger.
I remain to be convinced! nevertheless this is a fabulous terracotta by an (anonymous!) first rate sculptor.
I have previously visited the subject of 18th century 'English' sculptures of Venus and other naked or semi naked female figures but it is a subject worth returning to.
In 1738 Roubiliac created a Venus for Sir Andrew Fountaine.
In November 1738 The London General Post and Daily Advertiser reported that a sculptor in St Martins Lane "last week had finish'd a fine Venus for a person of quality.
Three days later the same paper reported a "curious figure of a lady by Mr Roubillack
Height: 37cms Width: 63cms Depth: 24 cms
Art Curiale Sale: 4126.
Lot 95. 9 Nov 2021.
It is interesting to me that whoever catalogued this figure had decided on an English rather than a continental sculptor. If it is English then the number of candidates for its sculptor is very limited.
...........................
The Son of Peter Scheemakers the Elder ( 1652-1714 ), he was in Copenhagen alongside the sculptor Johann Adam Strurnberg for 3 years in around 1718, then joined the workshop of Denis Plumier in London around 1720 where he met Laurent Delvaux.
When Plumier died in 1721, together with Delvaux they completed the funeral monument of the Duke of Buckingham and worked together on various commissions.
In 1728 they sold their collection of sculptures, and models. among which is described a 'Sleeping Venus' and settled in
Rome near the Spanish Steps in the Zuccari palace. During their stay of at
least two years, they met English Grand Tour collectors
such as Thomas Fonnereau who wrote to Samuel Hill who he met in Rome "a
very clever fellow… his name is Schielmaker ... [ He ] has copied the
Hermaphrodite of Borghese about 2 ft long which he asks 120 [ cru?; francs? ] "
see - Roscoe, "Scheemakers, Peter, 1691-1781", in 'A Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors in Britain 1660-1851', New Haven and London, 2009, p.1102.
.............................
Cleopatra ca. 1723.
Dimensions: Overall: 12 x 28 x 11 1/4 inches (30.5 x 71.1 x 28.6 cm)
Inscribed at the head of figure: "P. SCHEEMAKERS.
F".
.............................
Ariadne.
Attrib. to Delvaux.
Sold Sotheby's, 24 Jan 2002
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.
A sleeping Venus (very fine) by Delvaux was noted in the Drawing Room at Sir Andrew Fountaines, Narford Hall, Norfolk - see - Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, John Preston Neale · 1820. This publication also notes the bust of Andrew Fountain by Roubiliac in the Hall, and on the staircase Prometheus chained to the rock by Cavalier David (Claude David)
see - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67427/vulcan-or-possibly-prometheus-chained-figure-david-claude/
..............................
...............................
Sir Francis Dashwood as St Francis of Assisi.
c. 1760.
After: William Hogarth
Print attrib. William Platt
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-4138
----------------------
http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2022/03/an-attempt-to-make-more-sense-of-my.html
No comments:
Post a Comment