Fine Furniture - 20th January 2026
Lot 107
A MARBLE FIGURE OF DIRCE
Estimate £2,000 - £3,000 | Hammer £3810
Inc. Buyers Premium
Description
A MARBLE FIGURE OF DIRCE
AFTER LORENZO BARTOLINI (ITALIAN 1770-1850), 19TH CENTURY
modelled as a reclining nude with her hair gathered in a chignon, holding a tambourine in her right hand and with a snake's tail entwining her wrist
57cm high, 103cm long, 43cm wide
Catalogue Note
This marble of Dirce, also know as Bacchante at Rest, derives from one of Lorenzo Bartolini’s most celebrated compositions, created during the 1820/30s for the 6th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House. The work is part of a series of smaller-scale marbles produced after the success of Bartolini’s original . Combining refined classicism with naturalistic character, the figure depicts a reclining bacchante in a serene repose, the original is rendered with the soft polish and detailed anatomical modelling typical of Bartolini’s Carrara marbles. Bartolini trained in Florence before moving to Paris and working under the patronage of Napoleon’s circle until the fall of Napoleon. Upon returning to Florence Bartolini established a successful independent studio, taking on international commissions from the British aristocracy.