Painted Figurative Sculptures

A very fine French 19th century Louis XV style gilt bronze and white marble figural mantel clock. The finely chased ormolu body, with its original two-tone mercury gilt, centered with a circular enameled porcelain clock face with Roman and Arabic numeral dials and inscribed 'A. Thomas - Fabt de Bronze - 56, Rue de Turenne - Paris', surmounted with a pair of playful seated cherubs amidst clouds and wreaths, the case crowned with a figure of a Gallic Rooster (Coq Gaulois...

“Ritorno dai campi" is a museum quality, limited edition, handmade and hand painted, collectible Capodimonte Italian porcelain by Italian artist, S. Agostino. It is a finely detailed, very large porcelain sculpture depicting a boy riding in a hay filled, horse drawn wagon. The horse has leather reins and is lead by a man with a dog. The man is on foot and holding a hat, and is followed by a barefoot woman with a basket and a rake. The scene is decorated with flowers, a tree and a stump. Porcelain scene sits on a wooden base with a brass plaque reading "Ritorno Dai Campi Collezione Porcellane S. Agostino" Signed on the back, “Capodimonte Limited Edition no. 1/100 Made in Italy" with the artist's signature and a blue and white Capodimonte...

A spectacular matched pair of large and extremely rare Emile Louis Picault cold painted bronze sculptures from the late 19th century. Exquisitely handcrafted in France, circa 189...

Sculpture Samuraï Puppet Musha Nyngyo A Set of 2 with structure in wood, hand-carved wood, hand-painted wood, hand-lacquered wood, covered with hand-em...

A fine antique German porcelain figurine. By Meissen. In the form of a barefoot young girl in a dirndl dress carrying a wicker basket full of many different flowers. Atop a Rococo-style gilt plinth. Marked to the base with Meissen's blue underglaze crossed swords mark / an impressed 9 / an incised 'No. 5'. Simply a wonderful antique Meissen figurine...

Meissen, Germany. Porcelain figurine of a young man in elegant attire. Hand-painted in polychrome colors. 19th century. Marked. In perfect condition. First factory quality. Dimensio...

Believed to be one of the most powerful goddesses and one of the most venerated by Hindus, Goddess Durga now arrives from the Lladró workshops for the first time in a majestic limite...

Beautiful polychrome porcelain crucifix from the Meissen factory, one of the oldest and most prestigious European porcelain manufacturers. The brand...

A rare and very fine bronze corpus of Christ after a model by Michelangelo, cast ca. 1597-1600 by Juan Bautista Franconio and painted in 1600 by Francisco Pacheco in Seville, Spain. The present corpus reproduces a model attributed to Michelangelo. The best known example, lesser in quality, is one on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). The association of this corpus with Michelangelo was first brought to light by Manuel Gomez-Moreno (1930-33) who studied the wider circulated casts identified throughout Spain. The attribution to Michelangelo was subsequently followed by John Goldsmith-Phillips (1937) of the MET and again by Michelangelo expert, Charles de Tolnay (1960). While Michelangelo is best known for his monumental works, there are four documented crucifixes he made. The best known example is the large-scale wooden crucifix for the Church of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito in Florence, made in 1492 as a gift for the Prior, Giovanni di Lap Bicchiellini, for allowing him to study the anatomy of corpses at the hospital there. In 1562, Michelangelo wrote two letters to his nephew, Lionardo, indicating his intention to carve a wooden crucifix for him. In 1563 a letter between Lionardo and the Italian sculptor Tiberio Calcagni, mentions this same crucifix (a sketch of a corpus on the verso of a sheet depicting Michelangelo’s designs for St. Peter’s Basillica [Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille] may reproduce this). That Michelangelo was working on small corpora in the last years of his life is further evidenced by the small (26.5 cm) unfinished wooden crucifix located at the Casa Buonarroti, considered his last known sculptural undertaking. Michelangelo’s contemporary biographer, Giorgio Vasari additionally cites that Michelangelo, in his later years, made a small crucifix for his friend, Menighella, as a gift. Surviving sketches also indicate Michelangelo’s study of this subject throughout his career, most notably during the end of his life but also during the 1530s-40s as he deepened his spiritual roots. The occasional cameo of crucified Christ’s throughout his sketched oeuvre have made it challenging for scholars to link such sketches to any documented commissions of importance. All the while, in consideration that such objects were made as gifts, it is unlikely they should be linked with commissions. Nonetheless, a number of theories concerning Michelangelo’s sketches of Christ crucified have been proposed and some may regard the origin of the present sculpture. It has been suggested that the corpus could have its impetus with Michelangelo’s work on the Medici Chapel, whose exclusive design was given to the master. It is sensible smaller details, like an altar cross, could have fallen under his responsibility (see for example British Museum, Inv. 1859,0625.552). Others have noted the possibility of an unrealized large marble Crucifixion group which never came to fruition but whose marble blocks had been measured according to a sheet at the Casa Buonarroti. A unique suggestion is that Michelangelo could have made the crucifix for Vittoria Colonna, of whom he was exceedingly fond and with whom he exchanged gifts along with mutual spiritual proclivities. In particular, Vittoria had an interest in the life of St. Bridget, whose vision of Christ closely resembles our sculpture, most notably with Christ’s proper-left leg and foot crossed over his right, an iconography that is incredibly scarce for crucifixes. The suggestion could add sense to Benedetto Varchi’s comment that Michelangelo made a sculpted “nude Christ…he gave to the most divine Marchesa of Pescara (Vittoria Colonna).” Of that same period, two sketches can be visually linked to our sculpture. Tolnay relates it to a sketch of a Crucified Christ at the Teylers Museum (Inv. A034) of which Paul Joannides comments on its quality as suggestive of preparations for a sculptural work. Joannides also calls attention to a related drawing attributed to Raffaello da Montelupo copying what is believed to be a lost sketch by Michelangelo. Its relationship with our sculpture is apparent. Montelupo, a pupil of Michelangelo’s, returned to Rome to serve him in 1541, assisting with the continued work on the tomb of Pope Julius II, suggesting again an origin for the corpus ca. 1540. The earliest firm date that can be given to the present corpus is 1574 where it appears as a rather crudely conceived Crucifixion panel, flanked by two mourners in low-relief and integrally cast for use as the bronze tabernacle door to a ciborium now located at the Church of San Lorenzo in Padula. Etched in wax residue on the back of the door is the date, 27 January 1574, indicating the corpus would have at least been available as a model by late 1573. The Padula tabernacle was completed by Michelangelo’s assistant, Jacopo del Duca and likely has its origins with Michelangelo’s uncompleted tabernacle for the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Rome. The impetus for the Padula tabernacle’s Crucifixion panel begins with a series of late Crucifixion sketches by Michelangelo, depicting a scene of Christ crucified and flanked by two mourners (see British Museum Inv. 1895.0915.510; Ashmolean Museum Inv. 1846.89, KP II 343 recto; Windsor Castle RCIN 912761 recto; and Louvre Inv. 700). A faintly traced block possibly intended for sculpting the sketch of the crucified Christ on its recto was discovered by Tolnay on a version of the composition at Windsor Castle. The Windsor sketch and those related to it appear to have served as preparatory designs for what was probably intended to become the Basilica of St. Mary’s tabernacle door. Vasari documents that the project was to be designed by Michelangelo and cast by his assistant, Jacopo del Duca. Michelangelo died before the commission was complete, though on 15 March 1565, Jacopo writes to Michelangelo’s nephew stating, “I have started making the bronze tabernacle, depending on the model of his that was in Rome, already almost half complete.” Various circumstances interrupted the completion of the tabernacle, though its concept is later revitalized by Jacopo during preparations to sell a tabernacle, after Michelangelo’s designs, to Spain for Madrid’s El Escorial almost a decade later. The El Escorial tabernacle likewise encountered problems and was aborted but Jacopo successfully sold it shortly thereafter to the Carthusians of Padula. An etched date, 30 May 1572, along the base of the Padula tabernacle indicates its framework was already cast by then. A 1573 summary of the tabernacle also describes the original format for the door and relief panels, intended to be square in dimension. However, a last minute decision to heighten them was abruptly made during Jacopo’s negotiations to sell the tabernacle to King Phillip II of Spain. Shortly thereafter the commission was aborted. Philippe Malgouyres notes that the Padula tabernacle’s final state is a mixed product of the original design intended for Spain’s El Escorial, recycling various parts that had already been cast and adding new quickly finished elements for its sale to Padula, explaining its unusually discordant quality, particularly as concerns the crudeness of the door and relief panels which were clearly made later (by January 1574). Apart from his own admission in letters to Spain, it is apparent, however, that Jacopo relied upon his deceased master’s designs while hastily realizing the Padula panels. If Michelangelo had already earlier conceived a crucifix model, and Jacopo had access to that model, its logical he could have hastily employed it for incorporation on the door panel to the tabernacle. It is worth noting some modifications he made to the model, extending Christ’s arms further up in order to fit them into the scale of the panel and further lowering his chin to his chest in order to instill physiognomic congruence. A crude panel of the Deposition also follows after Michelangelo’s late sketches and is likewise known by examples thought to be modifications by Jacopo based upon Michelangelo’s initial sculptural conception (see Malgouyres: La Deposition du Christ de Jacopo del Duca, chef-d’oeuvre posthume de Michel-Ange). Jacopo’s appropriation of an original model by Michelangelo for more than one relief on the Padula tabernacle adds further indication that the crucifix was not an object unique to Jacopo’s hand, as few scholars have posited, but rather belongs to Michelangelo’s original...

Art Nouveau Meissen porcelain figure from the time the model was created: Child with brunette hair, dressed in typical children's clothing from around 1900 - apron and long-sleeved s...

Very large (31 1/2 inch tall) bust of the Greek god, Apollo, cast in fiberglass with ancient marble patina. Unsigned.

Vintage oversized or lifesize fully articulated Pinocchio store display or prop, Italian made wooden sculpture, that later became the famous and popular Disney character. Hand paint...

A finely modeled Chinese porcelain figure of the Chinese God of Longevity, Shouxing, Republic Period, early 20th century, China. The God of Longevity, called Shouxing or Shoulao, stands upright holding a dragon staff in one hand, a peach (a symbol of immortality), in the other. He is dressed in a long yellow robe...

Wonderful pair of Derby Porcelain "Mansion House" dwarfs. Both figures are modeled wearing large hat advertisements, most likely as they stood outside Mansion House in London. Both f...

Eugenio Patterino Italian Sculptures Chinoiserie Italian glazed Terracotta figurines Composed a Chinoiserie man and woman in a Chinese 1950s outfit Ma...

Antique original French faience Bonbonniere or simply Bonbon Box with Bronze mounts made at the factory of Veuve Perrin, Marseille sometime between 1748 -1803. Flowers and insects pa...

Seldom seen Paper Mache , polychromed "NaNa" Sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle,,

A beautiful and exceptionally 18 inches tall classic traditional Togatta Kokeshi doll from Northern Japan. Handcrafted of wood and hand-painted in the ...

Set of 12 Ceramic Chess Pieces, Lusitanus Home Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Lusitanus Home. A luxurious chess set designed for the mo...

Very large, handmade and hand painted, museum quality porcelain from Sitzendorf Porcelain Manufactory in Thuringia, Germany depicts one of the most famous religious scenes in all of ...

This late 17th-century Portuguese Baroque figure in polychromed wood depicts the Madonna holding the Christ Child, carved with exquisite detail and spiritual grace. The Virgin is p...

Art Nouveau ceramic figurines Rstk Amphora Austria Turn Teplitz - a pair Attributed to Riessner, Stellmacher and Kessel for Amphora, Turn Teplitz Austria...

This set of eight porcelain figurines was made by the Capodimonte factor of Italy in circa 1980 in the Renaissance style. Seven of the figurines depict famous military figures and ar...

Fun and nicely carved figure of wall street stock market investor . Complete in suit and tie with ticker tape machine . Hand carved in Italy late ...

This mid-century era molded fiberglass wall sculpture is unsigned, but presumed to have been made in Canada in approximately 1960 in a Neoclassical Revival style. The relief depicts ...

A beautiful and exceptionally 18 inches tall classic traditional Togatta Kokeshi doll from Northern Japan. Handcrafted of wood and hand-painted in the ...

A fine massive and elaborate 18th/19th century English hand carved, geso and paint decorated ship's masthead of Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson. Traditionally carved in Maritime tradit...

Presenting a stunning pair of mid to late 19th century French Limoges Bisque porcelain figurines from circa 1870. One is of a lady in period dress/attire cradling a Dove. All hand-painted and decorated to the finest quality. The base is marked with the makers initials “C.H.”. She is made of fine bisque porcelain in the Old Paris porcelain style. The other is of a gentleman set...

Large Antique Indian Hand-Carved Brown Wooden Elephant Sculpture Indian, c. 1900 Height 99cm, width 104cm, depth 50cm This finely carved wooden elephant, crafted in India around t...

Porcelain sculpture depicting the mythical hero from Gotham City. Limited Series of 500 units. Batman is, along with Superman, the contemporary hero par excellence. From comics to th...

A captivating sculpture after Demetre Chiparus, this striking Art Deco dancer embodies the era’s fascination with movement, theatricality, and opulence. Inspired by the expressive pe...

Pair 18th Century Hand-Carved Polychromed Wood Angels are amazingly well preserved and perfect for any devotional display. Sculpted from solid blocks of walnut, each features amazin...

Limited edition Disney princess sculpture of Cinderella and her carriage, decorated with handmade gloss finish porcelain flowers. Designed and handmade in Spain. Unique pieces by the...

Elevate your collection with this exquisite Chinese porcelain figurine inspired by the illustrious Qing dynasty. Crafted in a stunning wucai style, the figurine depicts a distinguish...

1920s Art Déco persian warrior cold-painted bronze sculpture by Franz Bergmann, Austria By: Franz Bergmann, Nam Greb Material: bronze, copper, tin, metal, paint Technique: cast, mol...

A lovely large 20" Mid-Century Italian majolica basket of lemons topiary centerpiece. No maker's mark. Freshen up your kitchen or breakfast room with this charming hand painted arran...

Beautiful handcarved wooden mythical Figure. Italy circa 1780-1820 . Weathered and small losses. Measurements include the wooden base H:17cm W:29cm D:7cm

Very nice and rare 20th century French set of plaster nativity scene figurines. Twelve pieces are representing the religious nativity characters and the animals. Large dimensions. ...

Excellent lifelike depiction of an exotic bird sitting on a sturdy tree trunk, turning its head to the left. Detailed execution of the scenery in bold colours, base based on a heavy ...

For your consideration is this very attractive and totally original Art Deco glazed porcelain flapper girl figurine dating to around 1935. She's an impressive height standing 12 cm o...

French Tole-Painted Floral Dummy Board – Basket of Tulips & Hydrangeas, 20th Century A charming French tole-painted floral dummy board, 20th century, crafted in the form of an abu...

An attractive early 20th Century Art Deco cold painted silver bronze figure of a young energetic beauty in an elegant pose holding a scarf around her midriff, raised on a decorative ...

Italian 18th century hand-carved Corpus Christi, in original paint, or in some small areas early paint. Note: Original/early finish on antique a...

Tang Dynasty Pair of Painted Pottery Lokapalas Tang Dynasty (618-907), Height: 27.25 x 11.5 x 7" each PROVENANCE: Weisbrod Chinese Art, Ltd., New York Condition: Losses and resto...

Chinoiserie pagoda. Very decorative Italian painted plaster and wood three-tiered pagoda alla Mongiardino emanating from marine inspired grotto base with four masks issuing water in...

This playful Postmodern coat stand is not only a smart space saver in a hallway, pantry or dressing room, it is also a pleasant and cheerful interior e...

White, yellow and gold glossy porcelain figurine created by Jaime Hayon for the collection The Guest by Lladró Atelier with a white base attached to the piece. This piece is renowned...

Italian cold painted tole potted tulip table decoration. A white footed pot holds a symmetrical cluster of shaded pink, blue and yellow metal closed tulips....

Rare Hi-Lo Collapsible modernist streamline bicycle by Cleveland Company,, M D T,, Amazing design and condition, bike comes apart for easy compact transport and storage, Retains all ...

Late 20th century Post-Modern painted and glazed ceramic penis/phallic sculpture, United Kingdom By: unknown Material: ceramic, paint, enamel, clay ...

Depiction of two seated, smiling Chinese Buddha figures from a series of folk types: Voluminous bodies with hair tied back strictly, wearing robes that cling closely to the body, bel...

Sculptural 18th century Italian crucifix mounted on emerald in matrix on a reflective mica base. The crucifix artifact is originally hand carved wood with silver leaf from a church ...

A fine antique German porcelain figure of a boy with a dog by world renowned makers Meissen and dating from the 19th century. The figure of a young boy in typical period dress stands...

Dimensions: 7.5 x 12 x 18.5 cm Material: Pottery Name: Kitanoumi Period: Showa (1980s) Kitanoumi Toshimitsu (May 16, 1953 to November 20, 2015), born Toshimitsu Obata (Obata Toshi...

For your consideration, a Japanese porcelain Satsuma style elephant plant stand or figurine. It features elaborate, colorful decoration with extensive gilt accents. The side panels ...

A fine Han dynasty polychrome painted terracotta horse and rider. The warrior is dressed in orange and black on a black horse. Measures: Height 14 inches (35 cm) Width 12.5 inches (32 cm). Condition: Excellent with tastefully undetectable repairs. During the unification of China under the Han dynasty, bands of mounted nomadic warriors from the north threatened the country. In order to thwart their attacks, the Chinese sought to import stronger, faster steeds from Central Asia (as opposed to the Mongol ponies used by the invaders), eventually leading to the creation of the Silk Road. This small sculpture of a mounted soldier reveals the crucial military role of the horse. When compared to the diminutive stature of the rider, the importance of the horse becomes readily apparent. This creature provided security and strength, allowing the empire to secure its borders and expand its influences across Central Asia. The magnificent regalia of the horse, including a brilliantly painted saddle in red and green/gold, reflect the respect this animal received. The warrior as well is gorgeously decorated with a painted red tunic and gray chest...

This high porcelain creation takes its name and inspiration from Le Marché aux fleurs, a beautiful flower market in Paris by the banks of the Seine, which opened in 1830. Boasting a wealth of sculptural, floral and decorative details, this composition recreates a typical period scene and transports us to the idyllic Romanticism of the 19th century. The rich fabrics, lace and colors of the ladies’ gowns...

Folkloric ceramic nativity set decorated in Tonalá, Jalisco, México. Beautifully hand painted. Handmade in clay. Includes 14 figures. The figures are first handmade in clay and burned in a wood burned oven at low temperature, then painted with acrylic paint and decorated manually. Mexican folk art...

Cold painted Austrian bronze sculpture by Franz Bergman depicting a carpet trader. The piece shows great attention to detail and craftsm...

This cold painted bronze is larger than usual for this subject matter. The man sitting on a large rug and holding a rifle shows off the work of Franz Bergmann. Meticulously painted ...