Report Case Study 25

RCEWA Case 8 (2014-15): A marble statue of Aphrodite Expert adviser’s statement Reviewing Committee Secretary’s note: Please note that any illustrations referred to have not been reproduced on the Arts Council England website EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Brief Description of item(s) What is it? Roman adaptation of a late fifth-century BC, Greek statue, probably representing the goddess Aphrodite. What is it made of? Marble What are its measurements? Height: 203.2 cm Who is the artist/maker and what are their dates? Unknown sculptor from the early first century AD What date is the item? Roman Imperial, early first century AD, based on a Greek original of about 430-420 B.C. What condition is it in? The statue is extremely well preserved: the forearms and attributes are the only major restorations. It has recently been cleaned, probably in preparation for its sale. 2. Context Provenance Cardinals Paolo Emilio Cesi (1481-1537) and Federico Cesi (1500-1565), garden of the Palazzo Cesi on the Janiculum, Rome, acquired prior to 1550 Robert and James Adam (1728-1792 and 1732-1794), Rome and London (Christie’s, London, March 1st, 1773, lot 51 (Antique Statues in Marble, p.15) Sir Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1714-1786), Syon House, Middlesex, acquired from the above; by descent to the present owner until the present day, Syon House, Middlesex Key literary and exhibition references Ulisse Aldroandi, ‘Tutte le statue antiche, che in Roma in diversi luoghi, e case particolari si veggono’, p. 124, in Lucio Mauro, Le antichità della città di Roma, Venice, 1562 Giovanni Battista de Cavalieri (Cavalleriis), Antiquarum statuarum Urbis Romae, Rome, 1585, pi. 25 George James Aungier, The History and Antiquities of Syon Monastery, the Parish of Isleworth,and the Chapelry of Hounslow, London, 1840, p. 117 Christan Hulsen, Die Ròmische Antikengàrten des XVI. Jahrhunderts, 1917, pp. 4, 22 (no. 71, fig. 12), 38 Frederik Poulsen, Greek and Roman Portraits in English Country Houses, Rome, 1923, pp. 16-17, fig. 13 Cornelius C. Vermeule, ‘Notes on a New Edition of Michaelis: Ancient Marbles in Great Britain,’ American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 59, 1955, pp. 147-148 Lorenz E. Baumer, Vorbilder und Vorlagen: Studien zu klassischen Frauenstatuen und ihrer Verwendung fur Reliefs und Statuetten des 5. und 4. Jahrhunderts vor Christus, Bern, 1997, no. G 2/2, pi. 3, 4-6 Claudia Valéri and Fausto Zevi, Marmora Phlegraea: Sculture dal Rione Terra di Pozzuoli (Monografie della Rivista archaeologica classica, vol. 2), Rome, 2005, p. 87, note 278 Sascha Kansteiner, ‘Kopfeiner Statue der Aphrodite’ Caiete ARA, vol. 4, 2013, p. 13, note 12 Arachne, no. 51650 (http://arachne.uni- koeln.de/item/objekt/51650) 3. Waverley criteria Which of the Waverley criteria does the item meet? (If it is of ‘outstanding significance for the study of some particular branch of art learning or history’ which area of art learning or history). The statue meets all three Waverley Criteria. Very briefly why? History The statue is a prime example of the Roman sculptures collected by English aristocrats in the eighteenth century that had considerable influence on art and taste in the great period of neoclassicism in Britain. Undoubtedly the most significant ancient sculpture at Syon House, it appears to have been deliberately purchased by the 1st Duke of Northumberland from the Adam brothers’ own collection to form an integral element of their interior design for the Great Hall there. Aesthetics The statue is extremely finely carved, and is a rare example of a Roman adaptation of a Greek, late fifth century BC type, probably representing the goddess Aphrodite. The form of the body, with its luxuriant, flowing drapery echoes those of the goddesses shown in the pediments of the Parthenon. There are only a small number of full- length statues representing Greek goddesses in British collections, few of which could rival this piece in terms of quality of execution. For the statue to have survived with its original head intact is truly remarkable. Scholarship The extensive bibliography on the sculpture reveals its significance in several disciplines. In its Roman context it is important in understanding the development of Classical art. The statue should play a major role in the study of the reception of Greek art during the Roman period. As part of reception studies and the history of collecting, it has a particularly long and remarkable story to tell, relating the rich and socially powerful families of Rome during the Italian Renaissance to the hunger for Classical art amongst English aristocrats influenced by the Grand Tour. It is also significant in the history of architecture and interior design, particularly relating to the work of the Adam brothers. DETAILED CASE 1. Detailed description of item(s) if more than in Executive summary, and any comments. The statue has been variously identified over the centuries. In early studies the figure was thought to have had a restored head, one that was identified as a Roman empress, either Agrippina or Livia. The discovery of an almost identical, but less well preserved, version of the figure from Pozzuoli, demonstrates instead that this is actually an ideal image, probably representing a Greek goddess. The body type and drapery are, though, not entirely specific. The arms of the Syon House statue have been restored, therefore the attributes that the woman holds are not part of the original conception: the arms of the Pozzuoli version are missing but were originally made separately and attached. There are, therefore, no immediately recognisable or distinctive attributes that would identify one Olympian goddess from another. There are several Roman versions of late fifth century-style statues that have been felt to represent different Greek goddesses, for instance Hera (Roman Juno) and Demeter (Roman Ceres). Nonetheless, on the Syon House statue, the falling away of the drapery from the shoulder would seem an entirely provocative gesture, appropriate for a representation of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of sexual love. The recognition that the head definitely belongs to the body and is not, as had previously been suspected, a random match made at some stage during its collection history, has been a major milestone. It restores the possibility of seeing the piece as a coherent ancient work and a very rare survival. Only one other example of this statue type survives with its original head, the example from Pozzuoli. Other headless examples survive, demonstrating the popularity of this type of figure amongst Roman patrons. To the best of our knowledge, no other example exists in any British Collection. Although it has not yet been determined exactly where the Syon House statue was originally set up in antiquity, its original Roman context is still important. Its modern history, from the time of its discovery to the present day is equally fascinating. The well-researched and fully documented article produced for the recent sale catalogue has much to say on this extended history, and is added below (Appendix1.) In Great Britain the trend for selling off ancient Roman statues collected during the Grand Tour began in the early twentieth century. At this time many of Britain’s country house owners were experiencing the devastating economic effects of the First World War and required funds that were most effectively sourced through selling art collections. A not inconsiderable number of Britain’s most important Classical sculptures from private collections, were sold off and dispersed, with some gracing Museums in the United States rather than Britain’s National Museums. In more recent decades, there have been several high profile sales of individual ancient sculptural masterpieces, often the most famous statue in a particular collection. A notable example was the so-called Newby Hall or ‘Jenkins’ Venus sold in 2002. Like the Syon House Aphrodite, the statue at Newby Hall was part of a carefully planned interior, placed in a specially designed niche and intended to be viewed as part of a whole complex, rather than as an individual statue. Its significance, and the effect of its loss has incidentally prompted the owner of Newby Hall to commission an exact marble replica to fill its original spot. The Syon House Aphrodite, which gives its name to the Syon/Pozzuoli type, then speaks to us today from several different historic and artistic levels. It works as a fine example of a Roman interpretation of the sculptural traditions of the late fifth century BC. Few Roman statues of deities exist that have not undergone major transformations after their discovery and been restored to appeal to their owners from the Renaissance up to the nineteenth century. Then, and perhaps more importantly, it marks the journey made by ancient statues from their discovery in Italy during the Renaissance, to being sold to wealthy families in Rome, who had them re-shaped and modelled to suit their own, sometimes, ostentatious tastes. The statues such as, and including this example, illustrate the re-discovery of the ancient Classical world by British gentlemen during their Grand Tour. Their British connection lies in how the statues were displayed in often newly designed grand halls, to be shown off, almost as trophies in honour of the owner’s taste and status. Here the statue in question was raised up on a pedestal specially designed by Robert Adam, and was part of a symmetrical arrangement, of similarly sized statues. The initial disappointment of not being able to use bronze statues, as proposed by Adam, would surely have quickly changed to delight once the marble statues were set up: they complement the architecture superbly. The figure was intended to be viewed and admired as part of a whole complex rather than as an individual piece.

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