Oil lamp in the form of a grotesque animal in bronze with a - Lot 108

Lot n° 108
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Estimation :
3000 - 4000 EUR
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Result : 3 900EUR
Oil lamp in the form of a grotesque animal in bronze with a - Lot 108
Oil lamp in the form of a grotesque animal in bronze with a dark patina. The imaginary creature, in a walking position, features wading legs, a snail-like body, a reptile-like neck ending in a human head opening a huge mouth in the shape of an oil lamp. France or Netherlands, after a 1620 model inspired by a drawing by Arent van Bolten, 18th century H. 17.7 - L. 16 cm Griotte marble base (minor damage to marble) Works consulted : - V. Avery, Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Daniel Katz Ltd, 2002, cat.101, p. 327. - F. Scholten and M. Verber, From Vulcan's Forge - Bronzes from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 1450-1800, London, 2005, n°40, p.130 and 131. Several examples of this grotesque animal can be found in major museum collections, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. BK-16127), the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (inv.M.49-1952) and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge (inv.M.8-1997). Inspired by the work of Dutch sculptor, goldsmith and draughtsman Arent van Bolten (circa 1573 - before 1633), these bronzes are not always easy to date precisely, between the first half of the 17th and the end of the 18th centuries, nor to situate, although most are given as French. The beautiful deep black patina of this one and the quality of the print mean that it can be linked to production in the 1700s. Like his contemporary Adam van Vianen (1568-1627), Arent van Bolten was one of the Dutch artists who opened the way to Rococo in Northern European art. Driven by a highly imaginative mannerism that we would describe today as "surrealist", they pushed the auricular style to its limits. Best known for his drawings, van Bolten was a source of inspiration for the sculptors and goldsmiths of his time. This grotesque bird can be linked to one of his "drôleries" engravings (fig.).
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