Bronze
& marble 31/2 foot model of the Fontana
delle Tartarughe in Rome
This
superb feature, to enhance a conservatory or grace an entrance
hall, was recently sold by Trevor Philip & Sons. Rome is
a city of fountains. There is the famous Fontana di Trevi,
with its fantastic waterscape of gods, tritons and horses
rising from sculptured rocks, where every visitor must throw
a coin into the water to ensure a return visit to the imperial
city.
The
Piazza Navona has three fountains, including the Fontana
dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini, with huge figures representing
four of the world's great rivers, topped by an Egyptian
obelisk. But even the tiniest piazzas often boast exquisite
fountains, and one of the most attractive of these is the
Fontana delle Tartarughe, the fountain of the tortoises,
in the little Piazza Mattei. This delicate sculpture was
commissioned by Giacomo della Porta in 1581, and the bronzes
are the work of Taddeo Landini. Each figure of a youth holds
a dolphin with one hand, and with the other upraised arm
supports a drinking tortoise.
The
water flows from the upper basin through the mouths of the
dolphins and four putti heads into the marble bath below.
One of the tortoises that cling engagingly to the rim of
the basin, was stolen, so the other three precious original
bronzes are now in safe keeping, and replaced by replicas.
Late
19th - century 30 inch TERRESTRIAL GLOBE
by the Johnson brothers of Edinburgh,
on a superb carved stand.
This
is a rare example of the largest globe made
by the Edinburgh craftsmen, William and Alexander Keith
Johnson, which won awards at the Great Exhibition of 1851.
The brothers worked originally for Kirkwood & Sons of Edinburgh,
and then set up in business on their own account, in the
1820s, with great success.
The
globe is inscribed: 30 inch terrestrial globe by W & A.K.Johnson
Geographers, engravers and printers, Edinburgh & London
and bears the Royal Coat of Arms in the cartouche. The magnificent
mahogany stand has, in boxwood inlay, the words ASIA, EUROPA,
AFRICA, AMERICA, below the horizon ring, and the points
of the compass at the base of each leg. The four legs are
in the form of fluted pillars with lion's paw feet, each
topped with a finely carved and highly distinctive head,
representing a Continent. Below, the stand rests on five
turned roundels. The craftsmanship and condition of this
exceptional globe are so remarkable that it can be described
as a unique collector's item.
POCKET
& MINIATURE GLOBES
This
group of highly collectible pocket and table globes emphasises
that at the Jermyn Street gallery can be found the widest
possible range of globes, including some that would make
ideal Christmas gifts.
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Clockwise,
from left:
1
Late 18th-century cased pocket globe by Nicholas Lane.
2
Pocket globe in case, retailed by Cox of Barbican,
London,1835.
3
5-inch terrestrial globe on stand by Abel-Klinger
of Nuremberg, after 1852.
4
Pocket globe in leather case from Williams
& Haydon, Aldermanbury, London, c. 1839.
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5
Pocket globe in fishskin case, signed by Nathaniel
Hill, 1754.
6
Fine pair of table globes signed: T.Harris & Son,
London, early 19th-century.
7
Pocket globe in leather case, signed by Charles Silberrad,
dated 1815.
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Muskelmann
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Artists'
models, of the human body, and later of horses and
other animals, have a long and interesting history
that began, not surprisingly, in Renaissance Italy.
Occasionally confused with children's dolls - and
possibly sometimes serving both purposes -the jointed
marionette, Gliederpuppe in German, was often carved
with the skill and attention to detail that would
have made them costly, and therefore part of an artist's
equipment rather than playthings.
This
ancient and rare example, in fine walnut wood, dates
from the end of the 16th century. It may, indeed,
be one cited as lost from a Viennese collection. It
should be described in German as Muskelmann, literally
"muscle man", showing the body with skin
and flesh removed so that the muscles can be clearly
traced and accurately delineated.
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Gifts
for CHRISTMAS
This
group comprises a number of small, but extremely choice
instruments, any one of which is a collector's treasure.
The makers represented are masters of their crafts, whether
it be two members of the famous Tucher family of Nuremberg;
the superb early 18th-century, London instrument maker,
Richard Glynne; or Troughton & Simms, notable early 19th-century
partners.
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Clockwise,
from left:
1
Ivory diptych dial by Hans Tucher, signed HD
with serpent and star mark, dated 1595
2
Miniature octant (radius 41/2 inches), signed RAMSDEN
LONDON, mid-18th century
3
Polyhedral dial, ebony and coloured, printed paper,
late 18th-century
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4
Miniature boxed sextant by Troughton & Simms, c.1835
5
A second Tucher dial, this one by Thomas Tucher, undated,
early 17th-century
6
Boxwood nocturnal, c. 1730
7
Gunner's callipers by Richard Glynne, superbly engraved,
early example, dated 1715 8 18th-century boxwood pillar
dial, 31/2 inches tall
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GLOBES
AT GREENWICH
The
long-awaited catalogue of the National Maritime Museum's
superb globe collection is now published. Over 300 globes,
armillary spheres, and planispheres are fully described,
and the vast majority illustrated, in this handsome book
by the leading international globe expert, Dr Elly Dekker.
Also
included are nine introductory essays, and a special section
on the Islamic globes by Dr S.Ackermann of the British Museum.
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TOY
time
A
typical, and charming example of the German 19th-century toy
and novelty industry is this "Black Forest"
clock-vendor figure in polychrome metal, on a wooden
stand.
The
clock he holds can be wound up with a key, and the
pendulum swings.
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FIFTY ONE THIRTY.