France, circa 1700 (Based on an antique) Venus Medici and Antinous of Belvedere Pair of bronzes with shaded brown patina Heights: 51.5 and 53.5 cm The Medici Venus and Belvedere Antinous, bronzes, brown patina, a pair, France, ca. 1700 H. 20.27 and 21.06 in. Provenance: Private collection, Paris Bibliography: related : Geneviève Bresc-Bautier, Guilhem Scherf, Bronzes français, de la renaissance au siècle des lumières, Paris, 2008 This pair of bronze statuettes with a particularly meticulous and refined finish is inspired by the most famous works of ancient art, the Antinous of Belvedere and the Medici Venus. The former is kept in the Vatican Museums in Rome and was first recorded in 1543. It is now considered to be a representation of Hermes in his role as psychopomp. The second is listed in Cardinal Ferdinand de' Medici's inventory of 1584, before being transported to Florence in 1675, where it has since taken pride of place in the Tribune of the Uffizi Gallery. These two sculptures are among the most admired antiques in Rome since their discovery, and were widely distributed throughout Europe in the following centuries in the form of drawings and prints, casts, bronzes or small statuettes in ivory or wood. Our bronze examples have a golden-brown patina with a hint of red, and a degree of refinement in the finish that brings them close to the finest examples dating from the reign of Louis XIV. It is difficult to identify the origin of this type of statuette. The bronze statuettes produced in Paris in the late 17th and early 18th centuries were highly sought-after by collectors and produced with great care by talented and experienced founders, most of whom remain anonymous. However, we should mention the abundant and prestigious output of the foundryman and chiseller Claude Devaux, whose rare post-death inventory tells us a great deal about the value, quality and care lavished on this type of work, which can be found in the finest European princely collections. France, circa 1700 (Based on an antique)