Pietro CIPRIANI (c. 1680 - 1745) Lucius Septimius Geta and Plautilla Pair of busts in bronze with reddish-brown patina Titled on the front 'Geta' and 'Plavtilla Heights: 50 cm and 48.5 cm Resting on green marble pedestals Total heights: 65 cm and 66 cm Lucius Septimius Geta and Plautilla, bronze, brown and red patina, a pair, by P. Cipriani H. 19.68 & 19.09 in. Provenance: Anonymous sale; London, Sotheby's, 7 December 2021, no. 74 ; Acquired at this sale by the current owner; Private collection, France Bibliography: Related : Andrew Wilton, Ilaria Bignamini, Grand tour: the lure of Italy in the eighteenth century, cat. exp., London, Tate gallery, Rome, Palazzo delle esposizioni, 1996-1997 Giovanni Pratesi, Repertorio della scultura fiorentina del Seicento e del Settecento, Turin, 1993 Die Bronzen der Fürstlichen Sammlung Liechtenstein, cat. exhibition, Frankfurt, Museum alter Plastik, Frankfurt, Liebieghaus, 1986 T.P Connor, "The fruit of Grand Tour, Edward Wright and Lord Parker in Italy, 1720-22", Apollo, 148, 1998, p. 23-28 D. Zikos, 'From the workshop of Cipriani's bronzes and plasters for the 1st Earl of Macclesfield', The Macclesfield Sculpture: The fruits of Lord Parker's Grand Tour, sale catalogue, Christie's, London, 1 December 2005, pp. 27-31 Reference works : Portrait of Plautilla, early Severan period, Greek marble, H. 65 cm, Florence, Uffizi Museum, inv. 1914 n.218 Portrait of Diamdumenien also known as Geta, AD 217, Italic marble, H. 52 cm, Florence, Uffizi Museum, inv. 1914 n.226 Pietro Cipriani was one of the most sought-after sculptors among collectors on the Grand Tour in the early eighteenth century. In the 1720s, his Florentine workshop was a must for wealthy amateurs from the European aristocracy, attracted by the reputation of his bronzes inspired by Antiquity. By the time he passed through the workshop of Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, his reputation was well established and prestigious commissions abounded, particularly from England. It was in fact Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi who recommended him to Lord Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield (fig. 1), to carry out a commission for him for a pair of life-size bronze statues based on the Medici Venus and the Dancing Faun. Cipriani undertook that these bronzes would be "... at least equivalent to what Soldani-Benzi would have done, and more accurate than has ever been done before". We can assume that Lord Parker was pleased with the result, as he immediately commissioned Cipriani to produce a pair of busts of two figures from Roman history, the antique originals of which are now in the Uffizi Museum: Geta and Plautilla (fig. 2 and fig. 3). This pair of busts, executed by the sculptor in 1722, was intended for the gallery that the Duke of Macclesfield was building at Shirburn Castle (Oxfordshire). The Grand Ducal authorities strictly controlled the reproduction of the works in order to protect the originals as much as to exploit this heritage for the purposes of international prestige. Lord Parker obtained permission to cast the bust of Plautilla directly, with instructions to destroy it or take it away so that other copies did not spread throughout Florence in large numbers. This bust was intended to be matched with the bust of Antinous, but Lord Parker had to fall back on the Geta bust due to an omission. A first pair was cast, known as the "Macclesfied Pair" (Christie's sale, London, 1 December 2005, no. 81, location unknown). Our pair is the second version cast by Cipriani from these moulds. The sculptor reproduced the ancient busts of Plautilla and Geta in bronze with great accuracy. These two tragic figures, respectively the wife and brother of the emperor Caracalla, were both victims of the despot and murdered on his orders. The fonts are of exemplary quality and great precision. The cold chasing technique is perfectly similar between the Macclesfield pair and the pair we are presenting here. While Cipriani endeavoured to reproduce the Florentine know-how he had learnt from Soldani, his approach to cold chasing was very meticulous and can be compared to the work of goldsmiths of the period. While the surface of the bronze is left free, untouched by any intervention after casting, Cipriani emphasises each strand of hair and eyebrow with multiple small incisions parallel to each other. The two pairs of busts also feature the same masterly chiselling of the whites, irises and pupils of the eyes. This unusual technique could almost be considered a signature, so singular is it. Pietro CIPRIANI (circa 1680 - 1745)