Large marble sculpture of an amorous couple by Antonio Frilli

Large marble sculpture of an amorous couple by Antonio Frilli
Italian, late 19th Century
Height 130cm, width 68cm, depth 46cm

This spectacular sculptural group is by Antonio Frilli, one of the most celebrated Florentine sculptors of the late 19th Century. The sculpture portrays a couple by a classical water fountain. A young man sits on the fountain, his legs crossed over its side and a staff in his left hand. He leans tenderly towards a young woman, who rests against the same fountain; his mouth is by her ear, whispering words that render the woman shy: her right hand practically covers her face in a timeless gesture associated with coy embarrassment.

The quality of the carving throughout is remarkable: Frilli has wrought hard stone into a variety of sensual textures, whether crisp folds of fabric, light locks of hair, or smooth skin. The piece is classically timeless: the figures could be from Ancient Rome or 19th Century Florence.

It is signed to the base ‘Antonio Frilli / Firenze’.

Artist/maker: Antonio Frilli (Italian, died 1902)