Medici vase after the antique
Italy, early 19th century
White carved marble
Inverted bell-shaped crater with two ringed handles attached to the vase by satyr heads and arranged at the base of the body. The upper rim is decorated with a frieze of vine branches and flares out to form a moulded rim. It stands on a square base with a gadrooned foot. The entire surface is carved in bas-relief. The body shows Ariadne's triumph.
Dimensions: H 53 cm D 41 cm Base 19×19 cm
The discovery of several great antique vases, such as the Borghese and Medici vases, led to the emergence of a decorative trend throughout Europe. This vase follows in the footsteps of this taste for Antiquity, taking on the general characteristics of the Medici vase. It differs from the Medici vase in that the sculpted frieze on the body is more reminiscent of Italian Renaissance models, such as the representation of Ariadne's triumph on her chariot, which can be compared to a composition executed around 1550 by the sculptor Girolamo Lombardo (1506-1590) and adorning the base of the sculpture of the Odolino de Pesaro in Florence.
