Description
Around 1692 the Bolognese sculptor Giuseppe Mazza carved a series of at least three half-length figures for the interior of the Liechtenstein Palace in Vienna. The subjects, taken from Greek mythology, included the musician and poet Orpheus, the hero Meleager, and the goddess Diana, identified here by the crescent moon that adorns her forehead. The compact pose of the figure and lack of carving on the reverse side indicate that this sculpture was intended to be placed against a wall or within a niche.
Provenance
Private collection, Austria, before 1980s [according to Robert Kashey, Director, Shepherd Gallery, telephone conversation, March 4, 2003, notes in curatorial file; anonymous, undated description in curatorial file]. Dorotheum, Vienna, mid-1980s [according to Kashey conversation cited above; and Shepherd Gallery invoice in curatorial file]. Kunsthandel Giese & Schweiger, Vienna, mid-1980s [according to source cited above]; sold to the Shepherd Gallery, New York, by 1988; sold to the Art Institute, 1988.
Accession Number
109480
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
67.9 × 59.1 × 27.9 cm (26 3/4 × 23 1/4 × 11 in.)
Classification
bust/head
Credit Line
Harry and Maribel G. Blum Endowment
