A carved white marble bust of Thalia circa 1820-1840, Italian, probably Rome

modelled with head turned, wearing an ivy wreath, on a waisted circular socle, 39cm wide, 21cm deep, 67cm high, Literature: F Haskell and N Penny, 'Taste and the Antique - The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900', New Haven and London, 1981, p. 343; N Penny, 'Catalogue of European Sculpture in the Ashmolean Museum: 1540 to the Present Day', Oxford, 1992, I, no. 3. The present bust of Thalia, Muse of Comedy, derives from the celebrated 2nd-century CE Roman figure in the Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican, itself based on a lost Greek original. Discovered with a group of Muses at the Villa di Cassio, Tivoli, the marble entered the Papal collections in 1774 and was being reproduced by the late 18th century, notably by Francesco Righetti, who offered 'Les neuf Muses & Apollon du Vatican' in 1789. A close comparison is the marble 'Thalia' by Luigi Amici (1813-1897) in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, and another was sold at Christie's, 'Important European Furniture, Sculpture and Carpets', 5 July 2007, lot 300. F Haskell and N Penny, ', , New Haven and London, 1981, p. 343;, N Penny, ', , Oxford, 1992, I, no. 3. Condition Report, Condition Report, Overall appears structurally stable. A section of her left shoulder missing, with further small chips, knocks and abrasions commensurate with age and use. A sugared surface and evidence of cleaning and surface restoration. A small area of restoration to the tip of her nose. The socle appears associated. Request A Condition Report, Request A Condition Report

Estimate:£4,000

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