About the Work

A marble statue of a youth in contrapposto position. The torso is idealised but has only softly suggested muscles, giving the impression of youth. The beginnings of the slender arms and legs further contribute to this impression, as does the languid pose which runs throughout the body.

Statues such as this draw their inspiration from those attributed to the fourth-century B.C. Athenian sculptor Praxiteles. Praxiteles was known for his languid, youthful, and sensuous male figures. He deployed contrapposto posture, with one taut leg bearing the body’s weight and the other relaxed and bent at the knee. This produced a curve through the figure’s torso and a tilt to the hips and shoulders.

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Provenance

With Stefano Bardini (1836-1922), Florence, by at least 1898, photographed in Rome in 1898.
Private collection of Franz Trau (1881-1931) Vienna, from circa 1900. Possibly acquired by descent as part of the family collection, both his grandfather, Carl Trau (1811-1887), and his father, Franz Trau Snr (1842-1905), collected artworks including antiquities during their lifetimes.
With Mr Van der Fecht, Spittelberg, Vienna from before 1960.
Private Collection of Dr Peter Wolf, Böcklinstraße, Vienna, old master’s dealer and specialist, since before 1960, originally acquired from the above.
London art market, acquired from the above 14th August 2017 (but kept in Vienna).
Austrian art market, acquired from the above 2nd October 2023 (accompanied by Austrian export license).
ALR: S00241523, with IADAA Certificate, this item has been checked against the Interpol database.

Literature

Published
Gabriella Capecchi, The Historical Photographic Archive of Stefano Bardini: Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art (Florence, 1993), no. 29, pp. 36, 78, 223.