Allemagne milieu du XVIII° siècle - Lot 63

Lot 63
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Estimation :
45000 - 50000 EUR
Allemagne milieu du XVIII° siècle - Lot 63
Allemagne milieu du XVIII° siècle Pair of statuettes representing Jesus and Saint John the Baptist children Ivory H. 15 cm for Saint John the Baptist, H. 14 cm for Jesus Two minute lacks on the edge of the shell, small lack of a part of the phylactery for Saint John the Baptist Remains of an attribute in the base for the child Jesus Bibliography: - Sabine Haag, Meisterwerke der Elfenbeinkunst, 2007 - Philippe Malgouyres, Ivoires de la Renaissance et des Temps modernes, 2010 - Eike D. Schmidt & Maria Sframeli, Diafane passioni Avori barocchi dalle corti europee, 2013 Marjorie Trusted, Baroque & later ivories from the V&A Museum, 2013 - Jutta Kappel, Elfenbeinkunst im Grunen Gewolbe zu Dresden, 2017 Saint John the Baptist is represented as a child. His waist is draped with animal skin, held in place by a cord across the shoulder. In his left hand he is holding the shell with which he baptized Jesus with an outpouring. In his right hand he carries a reed cross with a phylactery. Jesus is covered only with a cloth at his waist, held by a strap. The index finger of his right hand is outstretched. He probably had an attribute in his left hand (reed?). These statuettes form a real pair because all their gestures are reversed symmetrically. Their flesh is round without being heavy, tender without being soft, in accordance with the anatomical canon of childhood. The softness of the naked parts is balanced by the more detailed work on the texture of the clothes, hair and accessories; so many elements which individualize each child. The aesthetics of this pair of statuettes are in keeping with the late baroque, usually referred to as rocaille, and in our case rococo for Germany. The whiteness, the fineness, the slightly matt polish could lead us to believe that these sculptures are made of bisque. The overall effect is one of delicacy, grace and preciousness. In spite of the extreme quality of t
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