ADAM'S Country House Collections Day II - 14th October 2025

21 Country House Collections|13 th - 14 th October 2025 438 JOSEPH ROBINSON KIRK RHA (1821- 1894) Portrait bust of William O’Reilly, modelled wearing loose drapery over his shoulders Carrera white marble, Approx. 75cm high Signed verso ‘J.R.KIRK RHA Sculpt.’ and titled ‘O’Reil- ly Esq.’ On associated socle base Provenance: Sale, Hamilton Osborne King, Knock Abbey Castle, Co. Louth, 14 July 1998, lot 17 € 3,000 - 5,000 439 A PAIR OF CARVED ALABASTER FIGURES OF DAVID AND CINCINNATUS AFTER MODELS BY GIAN LORENZO BERNINI (1598-1680), 18TH CENTURY inscribed ‘Statua di Davidstatua’ and ‘Statua qinto Cincinato’. 61cm high Provenance: Tomasso Brothers € 5,000 - 7,000 These alabaster figures were crafted as keepsakes for discern- ing 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 Roman Republic, embodied the epitome of Roman virtue. Despite being banished from public life due to the actions of his son, he responded to the Republic’s calls for help by twice leav- ing the seclusion of his farm. On both occasions, he assumed his responsibilities, rescued the Republic, and, instead of cling- ing to power, willingly returned to his rural exile. The depiction of Cincinnatus, seemingly in the act of fastening his sandals to fulfill his civic duty, draws inspiration from an antique mod- el that evolved from a statue of Hermes by the addition of a plough in certain variations. The finest antique marble rendi- tions 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 in- terpretation of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s dynamic David sculpture housed in the Galleria Borghese, Rome. In this alabaster ver- sion, the sculptor has somewhat awkwardly substituted a hel- met for David’s sling, presumably to stabilize the outstretched arms, albeit at the cost of losing the essential iconography. The juxtaposition of Cincinnatus and David may appear unconven- tional, yet they could have been part of a more extensive collec- tion featuring virtuous historical figures.