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Atelier of John Gibson Venus in Marble Neoclassical Sculpture

circa 1850s

$14,850.54
£11,084.98
€13,000VAT Included
CA$20,755.85
A$21,130.53
CHF 12,234.02
MX$278,984.42
NOK 136,751.17
SEK 145,924.35
DKK 99,459.99

About the Item

Large white marble sculpture depicting Venus, from the workshop of John Gibson, Rome, circa 1850. Known as Venus Verticordia or Venus Colored, its history is fascinating. John Gibson (June 19, 1790 - January 27, 1866) was a prominent Welsh neoclassical sculptor. He studied in Rome with Canova and opened his own workshop there, where he worked until his death. Born in Wales and raised in Liverpool, John Gibson had a brilliant career. After completing his apprenticeship at the age of 26, this ambitious Welshman arrived in London as a promising artist. He exhibited several times at the Royal Academy and, within two years, realized the dream of every young sculptor of his time: to study in Rome. The next two years spent with Canova shaped his career and sculptural approach. Gibson also studied with Bertel Thorvaldsen and, at the age of 31, opened his workshop on Via della Fontanella, near Piazza del Popolo. John Gibson's workshop was one of the largest in Rome during his lifetime; it was an essential stop on the circuit of Roman sculptors' workshops, as described in Hawks Le Grice's famous 1840 manual. He employed specialized modelers, sculptors, and trainers and counted among his students several promising artists, such as Harriet Hosmer, William Theed, and Benjamin Spence. Around 1839, Joseph Neeld, heir of wealthy goldsmith Philip Rundell, commissioned Gibson to create a standing Venus for his prestigious collection of contemporary British sculpture housed at Grittleton Hall in Wiltshire. Gibson first exhibited this work at the Royal Academy in 1839 under the title Venus Verticordia, meaning "She who changes hearts." In ancient Rome, Venus Verticordia was believed to have the power to convert the hearts of women and girls from lust to chastity. Gibson's Venus is not a stereotypical copy of the ancient: a keen observer, he loved to watch passersby, capture their gestures and transpose them into his creations. He always carried a small notebook full of preparatory sketches and notes. Regarding his Venus, he said, "I had often noticed that women, when holding a fan or light object, generally rest their hands in front of them. I therefore depicted my Venus standing, holding a golden apple in her left hand." At his feet, in the purest tradition of Renaissance sculpture, he placed a tortoise, a symbol of fertility, love, longevity and protection. The Venus Verticordia was such a success among Gibson's customers that he decided to create a colored version of it in the Greek style, which he presented at the Great Exhibition of 1862. This colorful model caused a stir and scandal at the Exposition and from then on became universally known as the Colored Venus. The fame of the Colored Venus earned Gibson additional commissions for various versions of the model, in different sizes, most of them uncolored. Many of these, particularly the larger ones (118 to 167 cm), bear the artist's signature, but there are also smaller, unsigned versions, such as the 74 cm one preserved at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. We can say with certainty that our model, in pure Carrara statuary marble, is undoubtedly one of those unsigned versions that came out of the artist's studio: of exceptional quality and condition, it belonged to the collection of an important Roman family. As Gibson himself described, "I tried to give my Venus an expression of purity and gentleness, imbued with unchanged dignity and grace, and great spiritual elevation." These are all typically Victorian values, worthy of the quintessential Victorian sculpture. The sculpture is intact, never having undergone restoration. Size: Hauteur : 84 cm Base: 26 x 24 cm
  • Attributed to:
    John Gibson (1790 - 1866, English)
  • Creation Year:
    circa 1850s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 33.08 in (84 cm)Width: 10.24 in (26 cm)Depth: 9.45 in (24 cm)
  • Medium:
    Marble
  • Movement & Style:
    English School
  • Period:
    Mid-19th Century
  • Condition:
    Perfect condition, intact, never restored.
  • Gallery Location:
    Pistoia, IT
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2746217450572

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