Late 17th C. Gilt Bronze Crouching Venus
Gilt bronze crouching Venus on a pedestal adorned Boulle marquetry and gilt bronze ornaments.
The goddess is depicted naked, crouching and surprised as she comes out of the bath. Her head turned to the right, her hair is partially held back in a bun. She leans on her left heel while her right knee is resting on a shell. Very modest, she tries to hide her nakedness by her hands and her folded attitude. By her gestures she only draws attention to the parts of the body that she wants to hide. The elegance of the pose, the grace of her gestures reveal a sense of balance and highlight her body voluptuous curves endowed with the sensuality of the goddess of love.
Our bronze derives from the antique marble preserved in the Uffizi Palace in Florence, discovered at the end of the 16th century. The success of this marble resulted in many versions, the most famous being that made by Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720), completed in 1686, and kept at the Louvre Museum.
Gilt bronze, 17th / early 18th century, on Louis XIV style pedestal.
Dimensions with pedestal: h. 28.5 cm, l. 19.5 cm, p. 12 cm.
Dimensions of the bronze: h. 23 cm, l. 12 cm
Very good condition