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Galerie des Modernes
Jean Dubuffet (Le Havre 1901-1985 Paris) Personnage (buste) M. 406, 29 March 1967 Marker pen and gouache on paper with cut and pasted elements 45.5 x 26 cm Signed with the artist’s initials and dated lower right Annotated lower right Provenance: Jean Dubuffet collection, Paris; Ludovic Massé collection (1900–1982), Perpignan (gift from the artist, March 1968); private collection, France Literature: Max Loreau, 'Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, Fascicule XXII: Cartes, Ustensiles', Weber Publisher, Lausanne, 1972, pp. 145 and 188, ill. p. 145, n° 371
Argento Gallery
Gerard van Honthorst (Utrecht, 1592–1656) and workshop Four portraits of officers, 1637-1639 Oil on canvas 76.5 x 63.7 cm each Each signed and dated: two 1637, one 1638 and one 1639 Provenance: Charles Marsham collection, 4th Earl of Romney, Mote Park; acquired in 1895 by Marcus Samuel, later 1st Viscount Bearsted; by descent to his son, Colonel Walter Horace Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted; Christie’s, London, 13 December 1929, lots 79, 80, 82 and 83; presumably inherited by his sister, Nellie Ionides, born Samuel; by descent in 1968 to her grandson, Toby Jessel, The Old Court House, Hampton Court; Sotheby’s, London, 30 April 2014, lots 725-728; private collection; Christie’s, London, 1 April 2026, lots 30-33 Literature: Upton House. The Bearsted Collection: Pictures, London: The National Trust, 1964, p. 41, n° 137; J.R. Judson and R.E.O. Ekkart, Gerrit van Honthorst, Doornspijk: Davaco, 1999, pp. 315-316, n° 475, 474, 478 and 479 Four unidentified military officers portrayed in armour with differently coloured sashes, each within a painted oval with a sculptural border. Originally belonging to a larger series, the portraits display Honthorst’s characteristic treatment of faces, fabrics and reflected light on metal. The identities of the officers and the original patron remain unknown.
COLNAGHI
Paul de Vos (Hulst 1595–1678 Antwerp) Deer hunt Oil on canvas 201 x 331 cm Signed lower right of centre, on a stone: P. De vos. fecit, this monumental canvas belongs to the large-scale hunting pictures for which Paul de Vos became known among seventeenth-century collectors. The picture’s scale and format place it within a group of large hunting compositions conceived for the principal rooms of aristocratic houses. Works of comparable dimensions by de Vos include the stag hunt now in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and the two hunts in the Museo del Prado. The latter are dated by the Prado to 1637–1640, when de Vos was working on the decoration of Philip IV’s hunting lodge, the Torre de la Parada. The present composition is distinguished within this group by its open diagonal movement and by the stag’s apparent escape: the animal runs towards the edge of the canvas, while the hounds are still negotiating the river. The absence of huntsmen, horns and weapons concentrates attention on the animals themselves. The painting is also characteristic of de Vos’s particular approach to animal subjects. His long-bodied hounds, their coats described in broken, light-catching strokes, and the comparatively open, atmospheric landscape distinguish his manner from that of Frans Snyders, with whom de Vos’s work was often confused. The two artists were closely connected: Snyders married de Vos’s sister Margaretha in 1611, and de Vos probably worked in his studio. De Vos also collaborated with leading Antwerp painters, supplying animal and still-life passages for compositions by Rubens, Van Dyck, Erasmus Quellinus and others. His independent reputation, however, rested chiefly on hunting scenes and animal pictures, many of them made for Spanish patrons. The early provenance of this canvas is well documented. It belonged to Diego Mexía Felípez de Guzmán, the first Marqués de Leganés, whose collection in Madrid comprised more than 1,300 paintings at his death in 1655 and was particularly rich in Flemish works. Leganés was an important patron of hunting pictures and a significant collector of de Vos. The painting is identifiable as no. 199 in inventories of his collection drawn up in 1637, 1642 and 1655. It is described there as a large painting of a stag fleeing from six dogs, by “Pedro de Vos”, the Spanish form of the artist’s name. Its dimensions in the inventory, two and a half Castilian varas high and four varas long, also correspond to the monumental scale of the surviving canvas. The inventory entry places it among a sequence of large hunts by de Vos, including works now known through the painting in Brussels and a boar hunt formerly in Aachen. Following the death of the third Marqués in 1711, the collection passed by inheritance to the Counts of Altamira. In their 1726 inventory, the painting is recorded in a room beside the oratory of the San Bernardo palace, between two boar hunts, as “un zieruo que ba huiendo de seis Perros” (“a stag fleeing from six dogs”). The Altamira collection was dispersed during the nineteenth century. By 1867 the canvas had entered the collection of José de Salamanca y Mayol, first Marqués de Salamanca, in Madrid. It appeared in the sale of his hôtel at 50 rue de la Victoire in Paris, held from 3 to 6 June 1867, as Chasse au cerf by Paul de Vos. Its documented association with the Leganés collection gives the painting particular historical importance. It is the only one of that collector’s great hunting scenes by de Vos known to survive apart from the related stag hunt now in Brussels.
Grusenmeyer-Woliner
Power figure (Nkisi) Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kongo, Mayombe region, late 19th century Wood, seeds, beads, metal, glass, and plant fibers (raffia) H 24.5 cm H 29.5 cm (including base) Provenance: Mathias Komor Gallery, New York, USA, 1960s; Elliot Picket (by 1974); Aaron and Joyce Furman, New-York, USA; Daniel Hourdé, Paris; Galerie Alain de Monbrison, Paris Publication: Picket, Elliot, 'L’art Africain congloméré', Arts d’Afrique noire, n° 10, Summer 1974, n° 19, p. 33 Standing just 24.5 cm tall, this exceptional female nkisi from the Mayombe region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo possesses a presence far greater than its size suggests. Its piercing, wide-open eyes, finely modelled features and harmonious proportions reveal the remarkable quality of the carving, while the striking accumulation of black seeds surrounding the body adds to the intensity of its beautifully balanced composition. In Kongo tradition, nkisi figures were created to protect, heal and mediate between the visible and invisible worlds. Activated by a nganga, a ritual specialist and healer, they embodied spiritual forces believed to influence human life. This female figure, with her hands holding her breasts, evokes fertility, motherhood and the continuity of the lineage, while also fulfilling a protective function. At the centre of her abdomen, a mirror conceals a ritual cavity containing bilongo, a potent combination of plant, mineral and animal substances. The mirror establishes a symbolic connection with the spirit world, while the small cowrie shell adorning her forehead evokes prosperity and fertility. What makes this sculpture particularly compelling is the exceptional preservation of its ritual attributes. The abdominal receptacle, its mirror and ritual contents have survived, offering valuable insight into the figure's original spiritual function. Its richly layered, time-worn patina, thick and encrusted in places, bears witness to its ritual history. Equally fascinating are the numerous glossy black seeds, probably from a tropical vine of the Dioclea genus, which have survived along with the cords securing them. Combining sculptural refinement, spiritual significance and a rich assemblage of preserved ritual elements, this intimate yet commanding figure stands as a remarkable testament to the artistic traditions of the Mayombe region.
Galerie BG Arts
René Lalique (Ay 1860-1945 Paris) 'Branches de Laiteron' vase, 1914 White, lost-wax cast-molded glass with sepia patina H 20.4 cm Provenance: Kajikawa collection, Japan; sale Christie's New York, 'highly important Lalique from the collection Tsuyoshi Kajikawa'; private collection, London (acquired at the above) Literature: Félix Marcilhac, René Lalique-Catalogue de l'Œuvre de Verre, Les Editions de l'Amateur, Paris, 2011, CP77 Exhibitions: Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, René Lalique, Maître-Verrier, 5 April-29 May 1988, p. 145; Osaka, Navio Museum, René Lalique, 13 January-6 February 1996, p. 15, fig. 3; Gifu, Gifu City Museum of History, René Lalique: The Fantasy of Light - The Beauty of Glass Art, 1 June-22 July 2001, p. 15, fig. 2; Hamamatsu, Hamamatsu Municipal Museum of Art, René Lalique: The Fantasy of Light - The Beauty of Glass Art, 21 September-21 October 2001, p. 15, fig. 2
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris) Small Elephant at Rest (1912), circa 1923 Bronze with a nuanced brown patina H 20.3 x W 20.5 x D 12.5 cm Signed ‘R. Bugatti’ Cast by Hébrard, numbered ‘11’, bears the mark ‘CIRE PERDUE A.A. HEBRARD’ Only twenty examples have been recorded to date. Certificate of authenticity by Véronique Fromanger Provenance: Cahier Hébrard inv. n° 3717, formerly in the collection of the Countess de V, Toulouse, acquired in 1923 or 1924; private collection, Marseille Literature: Véronique Fromanger, 'Rembrandt Bugatti, Sculptor: A Monographic Catalogue: A Meteoric Career', Paris, Les éditions de l’Amateur, 2016, model listed under n° 300, p. 364 All of Rembrandt Bugatti’s talent as an animal sculptor is evident in his Little Elephant at Rest, depicted standing upright, somewhat ungainly, leaning on his trunk to maintain his balance. Through the sensitive yet dynamic treatment of its modelling, the sculpture beautifully reveals the Master’s ability to convey a palpable sense of life through the medium of sculpture. This endearing model was produced in an edition of only 20 examples. This particular example, numbered 11, is distinguished by the beauty of its patina, with its particularly nuanced and delicate shades of brown enhanced by touches of green, as well as by the exceptional quality of its casting, executed by Albino Palazzolo at the Hébrard foundry. So finely rendered is the bronze that the artist’s fingerprints remain visible in numerous places.
Galerie Patrice Trigano
Philippe Hiquily (Paris 1925-2013 Villejuif) La Maja délurée, 1987 Patined bronze H 50 x W 46 x D 14 cm Signed and numbered Edition of 8 + 1 AP + 3 HC Bocquel Foundry Literature: Beaux-Arts n° 72, October 1989; Georges Marti, Les Nouvelles de Tahiti, 'Le sculpteur Hiquily doit son succès aux américains', 10 March 1990; Pierre Cabanne, (ed.), Hiquily-Bronzes et mobilier, De la Différence, 2005, pp. 32 and 47; Catalogue raisonné: Philippe Hiquily, 1948-2011, vol. 1, 2012, p. 304 Exhibitions: FIAC 89, 7 to 15 October 1989, Grand Palais, Paris, presented by the Galerie Patrice Trigano; 'Paris-Concrémiers, le chemin de la mémoire et de l’inspiration, quatre expositions personnelles de Philippe Hiquily, Colette Portal, Michel Lebrun et François Leteuil', Espace Art Brenne, Prigny-Concrémiers, Le Blanc, 8 June-8 September 1991
Rueb Modern and Contemporary Art
Jan Sluijters ('s-Hertogenbosch 1881-1957 Amsterdam) Greet van Cooten with headband, 1910 Oil on canvas 35.5 x 42 cm Signed and dated Provenance: Salomon Beffie collection, Amsterdam; Willem Beffie collection, New York; Galerie van Voorst van Beest, The Hague; Reens collection, Amsterdam; A.J. van Hillegondsberg collection, Blaricum; private collection, Amsterdam Literature: online catalogue raisonné Jan Sluijters - www.rkd.nl/images/100130 Exhibition: The Hague, Pulchri Studio, Paintings, drawings and pointes-sèches of Jan Sluijters and Lodewijk, Schelfhout, 3 July-25 July 1915, n° 40 After winning the prestigious Prix de Rome, Jan Sluijters received a grant that enabled him to travel to Rome and later to Paris. There, he encountered Fauvism, an avant-garde movement that emerged in the early 20th century. The Fauves revolutionised the use of colour, applying vivid, unmixed colours directly to the canvas. Their bold approach challenged artistic conventions and initially provoked criticism. The art critic Louis Vauxcelles famously nicknamed them les fauves (“the wild beasts”). Together with Piet Mondrian and Leo Gestel, Sluijters became one of the leading representatives of Dutch Luminism, a movement that developed around 1909 and embraced the expressive power of light and intense colour. Painted in 1910, Greet van Cooten with Headband is an early example of Sluijters’s exploration of this vibrant new style. Its striking colours reflect the influence of Fauvism, while demonstrating his own distinctive approach to colour and light. Greet van Cooten was Sluijters’s favourite model; she later became his wife in 1913.
Anthony Short Antiques Ltd.
Burr walnut secretaire chest-on-chest or Tallboy England, George II period, circa 1760 Walnut and brass handles H 192 x W 103 x D 55 cm A very fine mid 18th century George II period burr walnut secretaire chest-on-chest, also known as a Tallboy. This stunning piece of early Georgian furniture is cross and feather banded throughout, showcasing matched veneers of exceptional colour and patina. The Tallboy is divided into two sections by a cross-grain moulding. The upper section features a complex cross-grain cornice over three short drawers and three long, graduating cockbeaded, cross banded, and feather banded oak lined drawers, all flanked by reeded canted corners. The lower section boasts a secretaire drawer above three long graduating drawers, also cockbeaded, cross banded, and feather banded, with beautiful oak lining. It stands proudly on its original shaped bracket feet. All drawers are fitted with the original swan neck brass handles and escutcheons, enhancing its historical authenticity. This piece is a testament to exceptional craftsmanship and is a stunning example of early Georgian design, making it an ideal addition to any refined interior.
Anthony Short Antiques Ltd.
John Parker of Woodstock (Welford-on-Avon 1813-1887 Oxford) Large antler coat stand England, circa 1850 H 210 x Ø 57 cm A striking rare antler and oak hall stand attributed to J. Parker of Woodstock, noted cabinetmaker and upholsterer active in the 1850s. The central pole bears a diamond registration plaque, dating the original design to 15 January 1852, when it would have been registered with the National Patent Office. Given the close proximity of Woodstock to the Blenheim Park Estate and its historic deer herd, it is highly likely that the antlers used in this piece originate from Blenheim. A closely related, documented example is held in the collection of the National Trust at Speke Hall, England. This wonderfully sculptural stand is composed of interlaced antlers and oak, forming an elegant rack for hats and coats. The lower section incorporates a basin for umbrellas and walking sticks, retaining its original tole liner, all raised on bun feet. The whole is mounted on a solid oak barley twist column, topped by a turned finial, lending both movement and architectural presence. Darkly toned with a rich, well developed patina, the stand embodies the lodge style aesthetic so prized in the late 19th-century. Robust hardwood construction and finely worked antlers demonstrate high quality craftsmanship and enduring stability. Antler furniture rose to prominence following the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, London, 1851, where such pieces were presented as fashionable novelties of modern living. Designers such as the German horn carver and furniture maker H. F. C. Rampendahl helped to establish this distinctive genre, which was soon produced in series for an aspiring European middle class. Both practical and highly decorative, this unusual 19th-century antler and oak hall stand is ideal for an entrance hall, where it serves not only as a functional piece for coats, hats and umbrellas, but also as a true conversation piece and a statement of refined country house style.
Vagabond Antiques
A Neoclassical painted and parcel-gilt console table Italy, late 18th century Marble and painted wood H 90 x W 110 x D 54 cm Italian neoclassical console table retaining its beautifully faded original painted and parcel-gilt decoration. The original shaped solid Breccia Violette marble top rests on a panelled frieze decorated with scrolling acanthus, flower-filled classical urns and carved paterae. The table is raised on four beautifully proportioned fluted legs, tapering to an unusually fine point and giving the table a particularly elegant and refined profile.
Dr. Nöth kunsthandel
Raoul Dufy (Le Havre 1877-1953 Forcalquier) Cérès au bord de la mer, 1928 Gouache on paper 49.5 x 63.5 cm Signed lower center Certificate of authenticity inued by Fanny Guillon-Laffaille This work will be published in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné des 4Aquarelles, gouaches and pastels' currently in preparation Provenance: Hartford, Wadsworth Atheneum 1959, n° 24; Fr. Gershwin Godowski collection, Sotheby´s New York, 12 May 1999, lot 373
Snackers Antiques & Fine Art
Walter Pompe (Lith 1703-1777 Antwerp) Cross with ivory corpus Antwerp, 1770 Carved wood and ivory H 57.5 x W 27 x D 11 cm Signed Accompanied by a CITES certificate Walter Pompe was a very well-known sculptor, especially of buxus/palm and ivory carvings. The richly decorated Calvary features ivory bones, skull, and the snake with apple.
Willow Gallery
Bernard Buffet (Paris 1928-1999 Tourtour) Deux pots de geraniums, 1978 Oil on canvas 92 x 65 cm - framed 112 x 85 cm Signed and dated Provenance: Marisa del Re Gallery, New York; private collection, Japan Literature: This painting is sold with a photo-certificate of authenticity from the Galerie Maurice Garnier, Paris
Caretto & Occhinegro
Jan Provoost (Mons 1465-1529 Bruges) Crucifixion with a view of the city of Bruges, circa 1512-1515 Oil on panel 31.5 x 25 cm Expertise by Peter van den Brink Active primarily in Bruges between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Provoost centered his art on a formidable capacity for aesthetic synthesis, marked by highly intellectual nuances and an unmistakable solemn style capable of blending diverse influences, from Van Eyck to Antonello da Messina. A shining example of this is this small Calvary, where three modernly minimalist figures are arranged with skillful geometry against a meticulously detailed view of the city of Bruges stretching out behind them. While Provoost explored this subject in other versions, always incorporating detailed cities in the background, none features such a precise and topographical view of Bruges. Indeed, one can readily recognize the belfry of the Church of Our Lady, the now-lost architectural structure of the Jerusalem Chapel of Bruges (still intact at the time), and the tower of the city's town hall.
Thomas Deprez Fine Arts
Josuë Dupon (Ichtegem 1864-1935 Antwerp) Flandria, 1914 (model), pre-1916 (cast) H 66 x W 71 x D 25 cm Patinated bronze, sand-cast Signed on the base ‘Josuë Dupon’ Titled on the front end of the base ‘FLANDRIA’ Stamped along the backside of the base: 'Fonderie Nationale des Bronzes’. Provenance: anonymous sale, Pictura, Ghent, 5 January 2007; former collection K. D., bought in the sale; thence by descent Exhibition: studio of the artist, March, cf. press, 1914; Exhibition Henry Luyten et Josué Dupon, April 1914; Salon Triennale, Brussels, 1914 as: n° 1001. 'Flandria (plaster)'; Salon Triennale, Antwerp, 1920 as: 'Flandria (bronze)'; Salon Triennale, Ghent, 1922 as: 'Flandria (bronze)' Related documents: A letter from Dupon to art historian and collector Max Rooses, dated to 30 March 1914, discusses the sale of a bronze version for 1,800 francs as a special offer at a reduced price. Rooses passed away some 100 days later on 15 July 1914. (Letterenhuis, Antwerpen, D922) Press: René Sancy 'Flandria chez M. Josué Dupon', in: Le Matin, 25 March 1914, p. 3; René Sancy, 'Exhibition Henry Luyten et Josué Dupon', in: Le Matin, 16 April 1916, p. 7; Arnold Goffin, 'De driejaarlijksche tentoonstelling te Brussel, II Beeldhouw- en penningkunst', in: Onze Kunst; Geïllustreerd maandschrift voor beeldende en decoratieve kunsten, Brussel, 13de jaargang, 1914, p. 103: D. Visu. 'Driejaarlijksche Tentoonstelling (vervolg en slot)', in: Het Handelsblad, 20 July 1920, p. 1; 'Beeldende kunsten: Driejaarlijksche Tentoonstelling', in: Gazette van Antwerpen, 8 August 1920, p. 2; 'Kunstkroniek: 42e Driejaarlijksch Salon te Gent, XVIII', in: Vooruit, 4 August 1922, p. 7; Karel Van de Woestyne, 'Het driejaarlijksch salon te Gent. V.', in: N.R.C., 20 September 1922 Full press articles available on request.
Maurice Verbaet Collection (MVC)
Marcel Mariën (Antwerp 1920-1993 Brussels) La Mire, circa 1981-83 Gelatin silver print on paper 18 x 12.5 cm (unframed) 33 x 43 cm (framed) Edition 2/6 Even before meeting the Brussels surrealists at the age of 17, Marcel Mariën (1920-1993) had taken his first steps in photography, having begun an apprenticeship with a photographer in Hoboken at the age of 15. During the 1940s, he began to use photography to create images with the bodies of the women he loved, but it was mainly from the 1980s onwards that he made frequent use of it. The photograph La Mire highlights the remarkable effectiveness of his creations, which, whilst appearing simple, reveal a wealth of meanings the moment one takes a closer look. It also demonstrates the extent to which photography enables Mariën to explore in greater depth the themes he develops in his objects, collages and writings. Indeed, his entire body of work is a reflection on the status of art. In this respect, he builds upon not only the concerns of the surrealists but also those of Marcel Duchamp. The Mona Lisa, the quintessential masterpiece of Western painting, was notably appropriated by Duchamp, who drew a moustache on it and added the inscription ‘L.H.O.O.Q.’ (‘Elle a chaud au cul’ or ‘She’s got a hot arse’) in 1919. Mariën takes this provocative critique of the mythicization surrounding this artwork a step further. The pubic hair encapsulates the moustache and inscription. It emphasizes the distance between the real woman and the painted one, whose identity has been forgotten whilst her depiction has become ubiquitous. The title refers to ‘la mire’ – that is, the image shown on television when channels were off the air –, an ever-present image that nobody looks at, much like the Mona Lisa, of which we have seen so many reproductions that we can no longer truly appreciate the real painting. But it also implies that ‘elle la mire’, which means ‘she is gazing at her’: it echoes Duchamp’s inscription, which can also be read as ‘look’. Furthermore, it plays on the belief that the Mona Lisa follows viewers with her gaze. Mariën presents the Mona Lisa as looking intently at the sex of the flesh-and-blood woman lying in front of her – in a perspective reminiscent of L’Origine du monde by Courbet. Perhaps his photograph enables us to better understand the reason behind the Mona Lisa’s famous mischievous smile?
Galerie Cento Anni
Philippe Wolfers (Brussels, 1858-1929) Salomé Drapée, 1928 Bonze and marble base H 52.5 x W 49.5 x D 17.5 cm Signed 'Ph. Wolfers' Bears the foundry mark Montagutelli Provenance: Wolfers' family Literature: Werner Adriaenssens and Raf Steel, The Wolfers Dynasty, p. 426, n° 324 Exhibitions: Antwerp, 1929; Ghent, 1979
Spazio Nobile
Ann Beate Tempelhaug (Norway, Mosjøen, 1954) Like days, nights, years (Som dager, netter, ar), 2024 Stoneware porcelain, glaze 185 x 113 x 18 cm Unique piece signed by the artist on the back Certificate of authenticity Literature: Ann Beate Tempelhaug, Nord, Artist Book, Spazio Nobile Editions, Brussels, 2024 Exhibitions: Ann Beate Tempelhaug, Nord, Solo Exhibition, Spazio Nobile, Brussels, 2024; Ann Beate Tempelhaug, I Should Have Not Used Blue, Solo Exhibition, Fondazione Officine Saffi, Milan, 2025; Ann Beate Tempelhaug, Umbra, Solo Exhibition, Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo, 2026
Galerie Jean-François Cazeau
Victor Vasarely (Pecs 1908-1997 Paris) EG-2, 1965 Acrylic on canvas 160 x 160 cm Signed in the centre Countersigned, titled and dated on the reverse Certificate of authenticity issued by Pierre Vasarely dated 26 July 2020 Provenance: the artist’s studio; Galerie Denise René, Paris; private collection, France
Desmet Fine Art
Pietro Simoni da Barga (Florence, active 1574-1588) (Attributed) A fallen man-A Titan Florence, circa 1570-1590 Bronze, All’Antica patina H 11 x W 20 x D 12 cm Art Loss Register: S00213873 Provenance: probably Cardinal Ferdinando de ’Medici, later Grand Duke Ferdinando I of Tuscany (1549-1609); Hugo Finaly (1844-1915); Madame Jenny Finaly (1850-1938); Villa Landau Finaly, Florence, by 1916; private collection, UK; private collection, The Netherlands Published: G. de Nicola, 'Notes on the Museo Nazionale of Florence-II', in: The Burlington Magazine, (December 1916, Vol. XXIX), pp. 368-69 In the second half of the 16th century, Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici was one of the most renowned collectors in Rome. He created one of the greatest collections of Antiquities for his villa on the Pincian hill in Rome. When certain highly acclaimed sculptures ended up in the papal collection or other important collections which he couldn’t acquire, he contented himself with having copies made. These weren’t full-size copies, but rather fine statuettes on a reduced scale, intended for his studiolo. His passion for antiquity is mirrored in the collection of small bronzes he had. He kept in his service an artist called Pietro da Barga; a sculptor known to us only by the references in cardinal Ferdinando’s inventory. One of the main characteristics of his bronzes is the green all’antica patina he used to resemble the surface of the newly discovered ancient Roman bronze statues. Not only did he make reduced copies of ancient roman sculpture, he also used famed Renaissance models like Giambologna’s Mars or Michelangelo’s standing Christ.