Adam's Country House Collections Day II - 10th October 2023

21 Country House Collections| 9 th - 10 th October 2023 319 A PAIR OF 18TH CENTURY CARVED ALABASTER FIGURES OF DAVID AND CINCINNATUS AFTER MODELS BY GIAN LORENZO BERNINI (1598-1680), inscribed ‘ Statua di Davidstatua’ and ‘ Statua qinto Cinci- nato’ . 61cm high Provenance: Tomasso Brothers These alabaster figurines were crafted as keepsakes for discerning Grand Tourists who wished to bring home mementos of renowned sculptures from both ancient Rome and the Roman Baroque era. Each figurine bears an inscription identifying its subject. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, an esteemed statesman from the early Ro- man Republic, embodied the epitome of Roman virtue. Despite being banished from public life due to the ac- tions of his son, he responded to the Republic’s calls for help by twice leaving the seclusion of his farm. On both occasions, he assumed his responsibilities, rescued the Republic, and, instead of clinging to pow- er, willingly returned to his rural exile. The depiction of Cincinnatus, seemingly in the act of fastening his san- dals to fulfill his civic duty, draws inspiration from an antique model that evolved from a statue of Hermes by the addition of a plough in certain variations. The finest antique marble renditions of this imagery can be found in the Louvre, Paris, and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotheck, Copenhagen. The statue of David, on the other hand, represents a creative interpretation of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s dynamic David sculpture housed in the Galle- ria Borghese, Rome. In this alabaster version, the sculp- tor has somewhat awkwardly substituted a helmet for David’s sling, presumably to stabilize the outstretched arms, albeit at the cost of losing the essential iconog- raphy. The juxtaposition of Cincinnatus and David may appear unconventional, yet they could have been part of a more extensive collection featuring virtuous histor- ical figures. € 8,000 - 10,000