About the lot N° 151
Title : Pair Of Continental Terracotta Recumbent Sphinxes
Size : 58cm. high, 36cm. wide, 82cm. long, 1ft 11¾in., 1ft 2¼in., 2ft 8¼in.Notes : Sphinxes, the mythological guardians of temples and tombs in ancient Egypt and Greece, became a popular form of decoration during the Italian Renaissance. Sometimes they were incorporated into grotesque ornament, often they were used as supporters for sarcophagi, reflecting their original function. This role was carried into the baroque period, when they appeared frequently as garden ornaments on terraces, steps and gate posts. One such example is the pair of marble sphinxes supplied to the Orangery at Versailles by Louis Lerambert in 1665, to which the present sphinxes might be compared. In the early eighteenth century the sphinx motif was popularised by the publication of Bernard de Montfaucon?s L?Antiquité expliquée?(Paris, 1719-24), the first comprehensive archaeological account of classical antiquities, which illustrated Egyptian sphinxes, mummies and pyramids. Nevertheless, before the late eighteenth century, renditions of ?Egyptian? sphinxes often confused the Egyptian with the Graeco-Roman version. In the former case, a lion?s body is combined with the head of the reigning pharaoh. In the Greek and Roman version, the sphinx has a woman?s head, breasts, and sometimes wings.Condition report : weathered, with some lossesSotheby's, auctioneer, London, UK
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Sale title : Important Continental Furniture
Sale date : 03 Jul 2007
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Sale Reference : Live Sale
