English Regency Framed, Fine Gilt, Repousse, Copper Figure of an Exotic Actor

From the 1700s through the early 1800s, European aristocrats developed a fascination with ancient Egyptian culture and design that culminated in a full Egyptian Revival. Prominent figures such as Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned rooms decorated with Egyptian motifs. This cultural moment reflects a fascination with a sophisticated civilization of great artists and pharaohs. The Regency era possessed very little knowledge of the Great Pyramids or hieroglyphics, a quality that lent Egyptian art interpretation a compelling air of mystique. This English Regency period gilt carving depicts a popular figure of borrowed Egyptian motif: the Sphinx. Recognized among educated circles as a symbol of brilliance in the ancient past, the Sphinx was well-known as a mythological creature who destroys those who failed to answer her riddle. Such a piece as this, excellent in detail and craftsmanship, may have once graced the mantle of a gentleman’s study or been exchanged as a gift between British scholars. The beautiful gold surface has been achieved by an artful combination of gilt and gesso; the art enthusiast will appreciate the intricate texture realized in the carving’s hair and tail as well as the delicate detailing of the saddle. Borrowing from the Egyptians, the Greeks had their own interpretation of the Sphinx. Greek mythology chronicled the Sphinx as being the daughter of Orthous and Chimera or Laius and attributed the riddles, which she proposed, as having been taught to her by the Muses. Crowned with a Grecian diadem and having a refined expression, she evokes an ancient yet reserved intellect. For the modern-day enthusiast of classical Greek art...

Pair of English Regency framed ormolu portrait plaques of St. Paul & Socrates Exceptional quality and casting, beautifully framed with convex glass. Each plaque is mounted in a circu...

English Regency decorative wooden post cap with four painted armorial panels depicting animals, mythological creatures, and a coat of arms with giltwood borders, and a fluted top with a bronze artichoke...

Ornate rocaille scrolled base with garland swags, centered the enamel white clock face with Roman and Arabic Numerals, the face with, G. Philippe, Palais Royal 66, flanked by two put...

This rare and damaged copper repoussé relief 18 people in erotic play involving French soldiers of various rank and state of undress. The artwork has a horizontal crack across the center of the scene. The relief is backed by a sold bronze...

Wonderful early 20th century Italian Carrara marble figure of an exotic dancer by Ferdinando Vichi The young girl wearing a jeweled bikini, her hair flowing around her shoulders i...

This is a beautifully stylized repoussé copper architectural fragment of the Goddess of Harvest, Demeter. Made sometime at the end of the 19th century, this was likely originally a ...

Oriental Dancer, Jugenstil Vienna bronze sculpture, 1900s Richard Thuss Austrian Gilt Bronze Figure of an Oriental Woman Dancing Stamped under a foot VNO. Gilt has been restored. It ...

Oriental Dancer, Jugenstil Vienna bronze sculpture, 1900s Richard Thuss Austrian Gilt Bronze Figure of an Oriental Woman Dancing Stamped under a foot VNO. Gilt has been restored. It ...

This curious Chinese jewelry chain dates to the early 20th century and is strung with an array of petite bells, charms and amulets. Worked of gilded silver alloy, the repoussé charms are laden with blessings and symbolism, including fruits for abundance, bats for happiness, and a lotus for perfection. The chain is strung with three larger charms of a horse, a donkey and a three-legged toad, the mythical creature known as the Jin Chan, or Money Toad...