AN IMPRESSIVE LIFE SIZE PLASTER MODEL OF GERMANICUS, OR MARCUS CLAUDIUS MARCELLUS AS HERMES LOGIOUS

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AN IMPRESSIVE LIFE SIZE PLASTER MODEL OF GERMANICUS, OR MARCUS CLAUDIUS MARCELLUS AS HERMES LOGIOS AFTER THE ANTIQUE, PROBABLY EARLY 19TH CENTURY Modelled nude and standing contrapposto, the right arm raised, and the left supporting a drape, on an integral rectangular socle approximately 195cm high overall, the base 73 x 52cm Dreweatts 1759, The Spirit of the English Country House, 4th November 2020, lot 187 (£12,000 excl. BP). Literature: Haskell and Penny, Taste and the Antique, Yale University Press, 1981, pp. 219-20, no. 42 The present plaster is modelled on the marble statue thought to represent Marcellus the Younger (circa 42 -23BC), nephew of Emperor Augustus and a prominent member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty that ruled Rome from 27BC until 68AD. The marble original was unearthed during the 17th century, resided at one point in the collection of King Louis XIV, and is now in the collection of the Louvre. It is thought to have been sculpted several years after Marcellus' death and presents him as an idealised youth and in the guise of 'Hermes Logios', the god of eloquence, perhaps alluding to the subject's oratory skills and statesmanship. The sculpture is also often referred to as Germanicus, a Roman general and member of the Claudian dynasty. Plaster casts after Antique monuments really rose in popularity during the 18th and 19th centuries, occupying prominent positions in Neoclassical interiors and serving as valuable teaching aids at art academies across Europe. The art collection of the University of Edinburgh for example still holds a cast after the statue that was acquired during the late 19th or 20th century. The closest comparable example is the model in the Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow known to have been acquired by the Academy in Vienna in 1826, firmly establishing the date of manufacture of that model in the earlier part of the 19th century. A cast of the same subject is also known to have been presented to the Royal Academy by the Prince Regent in 1816, and it is possible that this lot dates from a similar period. Condition Report: The lot bears the usual minor marks, knocks and scuffs overall consistent with age and use. There are some losses to the painted surface, particularly to the upper back. There are also chips and losses to the plaster, especially the rectangular base (front and rear left corner, left and right sides) and to the exposed edges of the suspended drapery. There are casting joins visible in places, a result of manufacture. Possible restoration to lower portion of the tree trunk, possibly the lower portion of the hand, raised right wrist, and sections of paint may have been refreshed. It is possible that the plaster is more broadly 19th century in make. Minor losses to paint on plinth. Condition Report Disclaimer The lot bears the usual minor marks, knocks and scuffs overall consistent with age and use. There are some losses to the painted surface, particularly to the upper back. There are also chips and losses to the plaster, especially the rectangular base (front and rear left corner, left and right sides) and to the exposed edges of the suspended drapery. There are casting joins visible in places, a result of manufacture. Possible restoration to lower portion of the tree trunk, possibly the lower portion of the hand, raised right wrist, and sections of paint may have been refreshed. It is possible that the plaster is more broadly 19th century in make. Minor losses to paint on plinth. Condition Report Disclaimer

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