Antonio Frilli (1830-1902) 19th Statuary Marble Bust Of Venus Italica

White marble statuary bust of the Venus Italica signed Antonio Frilli – Florence, Italy, second half of the 19th century.

Measurements
Total height 50 cm
Bust height 39 cm
W 30 cm
D 24 cm

This life-size bust expresses all the skill and mastery of the sculptor Antonio Frilli. A work of difficult execution given the particular torsion of the head that alters all its proportions, Frilli was able to execute it admirably, in a proportionate and elegant manner, which makes it superb from every point of view. Its history is also fascinating: the work of the sculptor Antonio Canova, it is inspired by the famous marble statue found in the Palatine Gallery of Palazzo Pitti in Florence. This work was commissioned to replace the Venus de’ Medici, moved to Paris by Napoleon. The bust, a splendid reproduction of the torso of the Venus Italica, is an example of neoclassical art, with particular attention to the rendering of details, such as the hair and the elegance of the face.
The Venere Italica, created between 1804 and 1812, is a work that Canova conceived as a sort of reinvention of the subject of the Venus de’ Medici. The artist, in fact, did not limit himself to a mere copy, but tried to capture the essence of ideal beauty and feminine grace, typical of the neoclassical style. The bust, in particular, enhances the softness of the skin and the delicacy of the facial features, paying homage to classical beauty with a touch of modernity.

Antonio Frilli was a skilled Florentine sculptor and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. He opened his workshop in the city in Via dei Fossi, in 1860, where the Frilli Gallery is still located. There he began to work together with a few assistants on sculptures in Carrara marble for prestigious private commissions. In a few years the refinement of his works made him famous throughout the European continent and he had the opportunity to propose his masterpieces at international salons in Australia and the United States. He soon achieved excellent results, becoming one of the most sought-after sculptors of his time. He was present at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876; in 1881 his statues and garden furniture were exhibited in the Italian Pavilion in Melbourne, Australia. In 1904, two years after Frilli’s death, his son Umberto participated in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, where one of his father’s works, a sculpture depicting a woman in a hammock (Nude Sleeping in a Hammock) made of white Carrara marble, won the Grand Prize and six gold medals. In 1999, the same piece was sold by Sotheby’s with an estimate of $800,000.