Furietti Centaurs

We are offering a wonderful large pair of Italian Grand Tour Greco-Roman 'Furietti Centaur' also known as Capitoline Centaurs sculptures, representing two male centaurs in cast solid bronze, with beautifully veined marble bases, produced around 1900. They appear to be unsigned works, but we were told they would have been made in a foundry in Naples, Italy.

Please note the very high quality of the modelling, the attention to detail, and the beauty of the musculature of the mighty centaurs, the beard, the hair, and the faces. Their quality and beauty are astonishing. They are surfaced with an excellent green verdigris patina. The model of these was very popular form the eighteenth to the late nineteenth century, and the model for these is possibly later, around 1880. The dealer said that they thought these were probably first cast around 1880, but they are a later production from the same moulds from the early 20th century.

They are thickly cast solid bronze, including the bases, which weigh 32.5 kg. Though smaller than some large sets, these are unusually large, 61 cm and 67 cm high from 45 cm to 47 cm and overall weighing over 32.5 kg.

When purchased from a gallery in Rome some years ago, they were attributed to the workshop of Ferdinando De Luca, also called Francesco De Luca. Ferdinando De Luca is an important and prominent Neapolitan sculptor who is well-listed online at galleries and auction houses and who often incorporated the previous artistic productions of Vincenzo Gemito, another important Neapolitan sculptor, into his works.

About:
The Furietti Centaurs (known as the Old Centaur and Young Centaur, or Older Centaur and Younger Centaur, when being treated separately) are a pair of Hellenistic or Roman statues in grey-black marble from Laconia (Greece) sculptures of centaurs based on Hellenistic models. One is a mature, bearded centaur, with a pained expression, and the other is a young smiling centaur with his arm raised. The amorini are missing that once rode the backs of these centaurs, which are the outstanding examples of a group of sculptures varying the motif. The strongly contrasted moods were intended to remind the Roman viewer of the soul troubled in pain with love or uplifted in joy, themes of Plato's Phaedrus and Hellenistic poetry.

Valuation:
Some online research shows that similar pairs that have gone to auction are quoted as much as 12,891 - 21,485 euros and were auctioned for as much as 16,329 euros. With the auction added buyers' premium, they reached a total of 19,594 euros, a total result of almost 20,000 euros.

Ferdinando De Luca's sculptures have received prices of 8,000-9,000 euros for a single sculpture. Recently, a single large sculpture by Ferdinando De Luca was offered on eBay for well over 42,000 US dollars. Though this pair of sculptures is not signed and is slightly smaller than older editions, their beauty and very high artistic quality make them an extremely valuable set of sculptures that would comfortably fit into a domestic setting, and can be easily estimated at the auction at a minimum of 8,000-10,000 euros.

Condition:
The patina and surface of the bronze are excellent, with no visible cracks, dents, or scratches. There are a couple of minor dings to the marble bases. One of the screws underneath that fixes the legs to the bases looks like a newer replacement and becomes loose with movement or vibration.

Measurements:
Old centaur with beard: Height 61 cm; width 45 cm; depth 23 cm; weight 16.162 Kg
Young centaur with frond: Height 67 cm; width 47 cm; depth 24 cm; weight 16.358 Kg
Total weight of pair: approximately 32.520 Kg 

We would prefer they be collected.
We are happy to fully wrap them for collection and delivery.
If you arrange collection by a courier please insure them.
Happy to accept electronic bank transfer.