18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Rare Vierge à l'Enfant en bois polychrome de tradition romane, région du Fenouillèdes, représentant une Virgo Lactans. Avant cette découverte, seules 3 vierges allaitantes médiévales...

GROTESQUE MASK Italy, 15h Century stone 30 x 31 x 20 cm 11 3/4 x 12 1/4 x 7 3/4 in

Bronze figure of a young Eros, caught in the pose of riding a dolphin. Attractive green patina, some fingers and right foot are broken. Separately worked left wing is missing. Right ...

Pair of Angels, Tuscan Sculptures with Cornucopias from the 1600s hand-carved from stone pine wood, lacquered and gilded from Central Italy, from a private villa in Siena; they are...

Nok culture Sitting 500 B.C. - 200 A.D. Terracotta Height 60 cm TL expert opinion of the University of Vienna Prof. Dr. Rudolf Erlach Provenance: Private collection Nice

Standing angel with banner Flemish Around 1450/60 Sandstone 60 x 21 x 15 cm This museum figurine shows a standing angel with a banner in his right hand and a small box in his left. The youthful, ageless figure wears a coat held together with a triangular, floral brooch in front of the chest over a long robe. The angel’s gaze is directed forward, his head tilted slightly to the left. The elongated face is sculpted: the large almond-shaped eyes with accentuated upper and lower eyelids are alertly open and sharp eyebrows lead directly into the root of the nose. The straight nose above the pronounced mouth completes the idealized oval face of the angel and his calm, internalized facial expression. What is particularly remarkable, however, is the magnificent curls, which are only partially tamed by a simple headband. As if puffed up by the wind, the hair, which is sometimes streaked in parallel, sometimes wildly twisted and richly curled, stands out dynamically from the ears. The tilted head with these sideways protruding waves of hair thus conveys an immediate impression of movement. The physicality of the sculpture is expressed particularly through this organic, lifelike movement of the loosened hair. The lively overall impression of the figure is further enhanced by the multiple rolled banners that the angel presents to the viewer. The outstretched palm of the right hand appears both intimate and confidential as well as mystically revealing. This banderole winds in gentle curves in front of the figure’s body, throws a fold over the second attribute in the angel’s left hand and falls downwards in a loose manner. The volute-shaped rolled up end of the banner clearly shows the fine texture of the banner and at the same time draws the viewer’s attention to the small cube-shaped box that the angel is holding in its slender, long-limbed fingers. The cube is decorated with a Gothic quatrefoil motif, which is often seen in the architectural tracery of windows, but was also often used to decorate caskets and other small treasures. The sweeping gestures in the presentation of the attributes suggest three-dimensionality, in contrast to the tubular folds at the base of the neck and the intricate draperies in flat and multiple overlapping garment sections. The soft curves of the folds give the impression that the clothing is made of a heavy fabric that falls diagonally down the front and is laid in several bowl folds under the right hand. Overall, the sculptural work testifies to the highest artistic skill, which emphasizes the virtuosity of sculpture in its precious and representative overall impression. The memorable characteristics recognizable here can be seen in comparable pictorial works from Utrecht around the middle of the 15th century, when sculptural art – especially stone sculpture – was characterized by a remarkably high quality. Particularly noteworthy is the accentuated Utrecht head type with an elongated oval face, almond-shaped eyes with heavy lids and dense, vividly protruding tufts of hair framing the head. For example, the figure is comparable to a capital of an angel on the east side of the rood screen of the Joriskerk in Amersfoort (province of Utrecht) from the second quarter of the 15th century. Not only the physiognomy and hair, which in the comparative example stand somewhat more horizontally to one side, but also the garment puff above the girdle are similar. Even more related motifs, such as the cleverly placed bowl folds, can be found on the limestone figure...

PAIR OF ROMANESQUE MARBLE COLUMNS Italy, 13th/14th Century marble 86 x 16 x 13 cm 33 3/4 x 6 1/4 x 5 in

One flame candle holder putto made of gilded wood. Those kind of objects were present in churches or noble villas, specially during the Baroque times. The base is not coeval.

ARCHITECTURAL RELIEFS WITH CHIMERAS Central Italy, 16th Century green marble 26 x 25 cm 10 1/4 x 9 3/4 in

An evocative, 14th century, carved wood statue of a seated Mary with the Christ child in her lap. The piece with a beautiful patina featuring polychrome paint traces. Now mounted on ...

Pantea Mahrou 1990 - Current Amlash Parallel World, 2025 Bronze 30 x 15 x 8 cm 11 3/4 x 5 7/8 x 3 1/8 in

A bronze Thai Bell from the Dongson Culture (1000 BC-200 AD). The work is unsigned.

Glorious, c. 1650, hand-carved, solid Carrara marble upper torso fragment of a Roman soldier. The piece featuring fish-scale armor atop a tunic. The rig...

Hand Carved Fruit Wood Length: 16 inches (40.5 inches) A striking, richly hand carved frame in high relief. It shows a rich decor of natural organic forms alongside a collection of ...

Saint Erasmus or Saint Elmo (Antioch, ca. 240 – Formia, 303) was an Italian bishop and patron saint of the sailors. His attribute was the capstan, a winch on which the anchor chains were rolled up. He died as a martyr for his faith, and his bones were transferred to Gaeta in the 9th century, where they are kept in the cathedral to this day. The electric phenomenon of Saint Elmus fire is named after Saint Erasmus and the 16th C humanist Desiderius Erasmus. Little is known with certainty about Saint Erasmus' life. However, many legends may have been passed on orally until - no older writings are known with certainty. His birthplace was in present-day Syria. However, the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian forced him to flee to Mount Lebanon...

ITALIAN MARBLE BUST OF MELPOMEN, MUSE OF TRAGEDY Late 18th Century inscribed to base Melpomen marble height 66 cm height 26 in

An exceptionally beautiful antique French wood carving, made in the 17th century. It depicts Madonna standing with open offering arms .The...

Large Saint Sebastian finely carved in alabaster. The saint is attached to a column surmounted by a capital, beautiful soft features and superb hair wi...

16th Century Venetian bronze sculpture of a Young Man in Armour attributed to the Florentine artist Andrea di Alessandri, called Il Bresciano (Fl...

Pilgrim or saint Jacques figure in sculpted and polychromed limestone. He holds a calabash in his left hand. He probably held the pilgrim's staff in his missing right hand. Very beau...

Set of two carved and gilt wooden heads of lions, italy, venice, 1760 circa This pair of playful and charming lion heads are a marvelous example of Venetian sculptural and decorative...

A pair of carved oak angels, circa 1700, with a lovely warm patina and faint traces of polychrome to the face and gilding to the body. The angels are both kn...

Large catalan Virgin of the Annunciation in polychrome wood. Our Virgin is represented in the phase of the Conturbatio, Mary expresses her amazement a...

ROMAN RED JASPER APPLIQUE OF TRAGIC ACTOR Rome, 1st Century A.D. 5.5 x 4.2 cm the mask 2 1/4 x 1 3/4 in Provenance Penicuik House, Midlothian, acquired by either Sir John Clerk, 2nd...

ANTIQUE ITALIAN PORPRHYRY MORTAR Rome, 16th/17th Century Porphyry 19 x 23 x 23 cm 7 1/2 x 9 1/4 x 9 1/4 in Provenance: Sotheby Parke Bernet Florence, 21 October 1976, page 36, lot 5...

PROVENANCE Herbert A. Cahn (1915-2002), Kunst der Antike, Basel, 1988 Private Collection, Paris

A Chinese, Sancai glazed pottery earth spirit. Tang Dynasty.

A fine and rare early barbers pole in original polychrome paint finish. Turned in one piece. A decorative and original piece of folk art. The white was for bandages, red for blood an...

Fine bronze figure of a winged cherub, also known as putto.

"Important Sculpture IMPORTANT SCULPTURE representing Saint Floran de Lorch in polychrome wood in its beautiful old polychromy. He is represented ...

This 17th-century bronze sculpture, likely hailing from southern Germany, depicts a scene of life-and-death struggle in nature — a hapless hare caught in the claws of a mighty panthe...

Mechelen dolls are rare wooden devotional figurines (mainly walnut was used), which were made by some members of the Guild of Saint Luke. The figures, all individual saints, were made from reference models using highly regulated carving and polychrome techniques. They had to meet several requirements. The shape of the rug had to meet certain criteria and the letter M (from Mechelen) had to be visible in the shape. These devotional or saint figurines...

Oak then lacquered with marble top Carved/Stamped with the name "Latz" in the wood under the marble Height: 55 inches (86.25 cm) Width: 55 inches (140 cm) Provenance Château de Mareil Le Guyon This commode is available to view at our gallery on Cecil Court. Jean-Pierre Latz Jean-Pierre Latz was one of the handful of truly outstanding cabinetmakers working in Paris in the mid 18th-century. Like several of his peers in the French capital, he was of German origin. His furniture is in a fully developed rococo style, employing boldly sculptural gilt-bronze mounts complementing marquetry motifs of flowers and leafy sprays, in figured tropical veneers like tulipwood, amarante, purpleheart and rosewood, often featuring the distinctive end-grain cuts. He also produced lacquered pieces, most famously the slant-front desk in the collection of Stavros Niarchos...

Exquisite Pair of Neoclassical bronze Bacchus and Bacchante figures cast in a dark patinated bronze. The pair rest on on white marble bases set with relief cast gilt plaques. 18th C...

This beautiful polychrome and highly expressive statue 18th C statue represents Mary Magdalene in prayer, hands joined, eyes raised to the sky.It's of German origin

A Chinese Procession Ornament dating from the Liao Dynasty, from 907 to 1125 AD. The Liao Dynasty, also known as the Khitan Empire, was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper. It was founded by the Yelu family of the Khitan people in the final years of the Tang Dynasty, even though its first ruler, Yelu Abaoji, did not declare an era name until 916. The Liao Empire was destroyed by the Jurchen of the Jin Dynasty in 1125. However, remnants of its people led by Yelu Dashi established the Xi (or Western) Liao Dynasty 1125 - 1220, also known as Kara - Khitan Khanate, which survived until the arrival of Genghis Khan...

BRECCIA FRAGMENT PLINTH Italy, 18th Century Breccia medicea 55 x d 25 cm 21 3/4 x d 9 3/4 in

Resting on a circular Egyptian porphyry base, this fascinating bronze figure of a young cherub is a striking example of the Venetian workmanship of the 16th Century. With the head tu...

An Indonesian offer post from the Tetum people of Timor Island. The work is stone and is unsigned.

This amusing naturalistic sculpture in silver-plated pewter was probably made in the 17th century by Georg Schweigger. Inspired by a model created by another Nuremberg sculptor, Peter Flötner, it bears witness to the persistence during the baroque era of the naturalistic taste that emerged in the Renaissance. Intended as an ornament for some Kunstkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, this sculpture was a great success, as can be seen from the presence of similar works in many European museums. 1. Georg Schweigger Georg Schweigger was a baroque sculptor and medal founder from Nuremberg, known mainly for his small-scale works in stone, carved wood and cast metal. His only large-scale work, the Neptune Fountain, has been in the Petershof Palace, the summer residence of the Tsars near St. Petersburg, since 1797. This monumental sculpture demonstrates his taste for the representation of movement, which we find in this small piece, inspired, as we shall see, by earlier models. 2. The success of a naturalistic theme As is often the case in the history of art, the source of the Dog scratching his ear theme probably comes from an engraving, and more precisely from one made in Strasbourg in 1480 or in Aschaffenburg in 1481 by the Master of the Housebook, an anonymous engraver working in southern Germany at the end of the 15th century. This engraving seems to have been Peter Flötner’s (1490 - 1546) source of inspiration. Peter Flötner was a sculptor and engraver who settled in Nuremberg in 1522. The Louvre Museum also has a gilded lead statuette dated between 1500 and 1515 (on deposit at the Musée de L'Œuvre in Strasbourg), which in turn is thought to have served as a model for other known statuettes. This model was later taken up by the Frenchman Barthélemy Prieur...

Hand-carved, oak statue of a putto holding a flowing tapestry and a shield mounted on a custom, Lucite base.

This limestone bust of the Buddha presents a picture of serenity and grace. A rare and striking image, it was sculpted in 6th-century Northern China during the Qi dynasty...

MUSEUM SCULPTURE Master workshop Hans Klocker before 1474, possibly in Gais - After 1500 "CRESCENT MOON" Around 1480/90 Stone pine wood carved Original version Height 77 cm This ext...

MADONNA Il DE FRANCE/PARIS Around 1270 Oak wood carved Height 79cm

Contact Modern Art Etc to inquire availability and price Modern Art Etc presents internationally noted and rising Chinese star, Xie Ai Ge (b.1977). X...