Rare 19th Century Grand Tour bronze of Silenus with the Infant Dionysus

Good quality, rare, 19th century Grand Tour deep brown patinated cabinet bronze of Silenus with the Infant Dionysus. Thought to be a Roman copy of an original Greek statue it was discovered by Carlo Muti in 1569 near the present Cassino Massimo, it remained in Muti’s collection for many years, then the Borghese collection in 1613 and the Villa Borghese in 1638. The statue was one of the most admired in Rome and was frequently reproduced. A marble copy was made for Philip IV of Spain in 1650 and for Versailles in 1684. Casts and copies continued to be popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The statue was purchased by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807 and now is in the Louvre in Paris. Attractive good quality casting presented on a later Rouge Griotte block base. France or Italy, circa 1860. 

H 16.5cm x W 5cm x D 5cm

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