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Rare 19thc larger than life marble bust ‘The Capitoline Brutus’

RESERVED

Code: LVS953

Dimensions:

W: 62.2cm (24.5")H: 71cm (28")D: 30cm (11.8")



A superb and rare early 19th century larger than life carrara marble carved bust of a Roman Nobleman, ‘The Capitoline Brutus’, after the Antique - ADDITIONAL IMAGES CAN BE VIEWED BELOW:

This marble sculpture of ‘The Capitoline Brutus’ is taken from the original ancient Roman bronze bust dating to late 4th- early 3rd centuries, the figure thought to be of the legendary Roman consul Lucius Junius Brutus (d.509 BC) and founder of the Roman Republic, also possibly ancestor to the Brutus who assassinated Caesar.

This larger than life upper torso and head of a bearded man with sharp aquiline shaped nose and chiselled face wears a Classical robe or toga, his eyes having an intriguing intensity – the original more so as the eyes are of ivory and glass.

The marvellous original bronze bust was discovered in Italy during the 16th century and donated to the Capitoline Museum, Rome, Italy in 1564 by Cardinal Pius da Carpi. In 1797 Pope Pius VI surrendered it to the French First Republic and it was then used in the triumphant procession of Napoleon Bonaparte in July of 1798 in Paris. The bronze was finally returned to Rome to the Capitoline Museum in 1816 where it has remained ever since other than being loaned to The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA in 2013 when the Year of Italian Culture was celebrated in the USA and then returned to Rome once again.   

This marble sculpture was possibly purchased during a ‘Grand Tour’ whilst collectors travelled through Italy and Europe searching for copies of antiquities in the early 19th century.

This sculpture is in very good condition for age with minimal old repairs to the nose and drapery, it is superbly decorative and can go straight into a home or collection. The bust would have originally had a socle, possibly the same as the original figure, but unfortunately this is missing and probably for has been for many years but the figure stands perfectly without the socle.