Antique Marble Bust of Iullette by Prof G.Bessi c1900

Ref: 07584

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This is beautiful antique white and grey marble shoulder length bust of Iullette, a beautiful maiden, by Professore Giuseppe Bessi, circa 1900 in date.

Her dress with chased detail, her hair brought together in a simple cap and raised on a simple canted rectangular plinth base.

The attention to detail throughout the piece is second to none, the bust is extremely lifelike and it is signed on the reverse G. Bessi.

Condition:

In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 34 x Width 34 x Depth 20

Dimensions in inches:

Height 1 foot, 1 inch x Width 1 foot, 1 inch x Depth 8 inches

Professore Giuseppe Bessi (1857-1922) - Bessi studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence . In 1879 he founded his own workshop in Volterra and manufactured mainly busts and statues of alabaster , marble and onyx.  He also created some bronze statues and statuettes . He was one of the most important representatives of Italian Salon sculpture. In his works he combined forms of neoclassicism and Art Nouveau. 

He was from 1891 to 1910 director at the Art School of Volterra and taught there until his death. This facility is considered the world's only art school for Alabaster Art. It was founded, as natural alabaster has been mined and processed near Volterra  since the sixth century BC.

The Alabaster artworks by Bessi were exhibited  in the world exhibitions in ParisTurin and St. Louis and won many awards. His works were distributed internationally with great economic success. The sculptures were shipped to America and formed part of numerous private collections that have provided the exhibits of many museums. In addition to sculptures Bessi also designed commodities such as chess sets made ​​of alabaster and onyx and lamps.

Major museums have today works by Bessi in their collections, among them, the St. Petersburg Hermitage. The largest collection of his work is in the Museum of Volterra, the Ecomuseo dell'Alabastro.

In recognition of his achievements, a street was named after him in Florence.

 

Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)

was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.

While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.

Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.

The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.

Our reference: 07584

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