Beschreibung:

A pair of monumental Italian sculpted white marble urns in the manner of the Medici Vase, late 19th century, each with everted rim above a frieze of fruiting grapevines in low relief, the main registers of the bodies of the urns relief carved with figural and equestrian scenes, each with twin handles rising from foliate carved undersides, on knopped and waisted socles with square bases, 160cm high, 105cm diameter Bidders from the UK and outside of the European Union should be aware that additional import charges may apply It was not uncommon for sculptors inspired by ancient works to reinterpret them and to make changes to either the form or the decorative scheme as they saw fit, as is the case in the pair of marble urns offered in this lot. They are of course of Campana form, like the Medici Vase, but the similarities go much further than that. The egg-and-dart moulding to the everted rims, above figural friezes which use the upper edge of the foliate carved underside as a flat ground for the figural scene is very reminiscent of the Medici Vase, as are the twin reeded handles rising from masks. The knopped socle and square base are also fairly generic, but when all the similarities are taken into account together it is reasonable to suggest that the urns offered here were at the very least, inspired by the Medici urn As for the Medici Vase, it was probably a part of the Medici collection by the late 16th century and within one hundred years or so was one of the most celebrated antiquities in Europe