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Lot Essay
The group corresponds to 'No. 210 - Niobe' in Blashfield's catalogue published in 1857.
The design derives from the antique marble group of Niobe and her youngest daughter now in the Uffizi, Florence, which had been discovered outside Rome in 1583. This famous group was frequently cast and copied, often on a smaller scale; a complete set of casts of the entire group, including the other children, was presented to the Prince Regent after the Napoleonic Wars in exchange for casts of the Elgin marbles, and casts and statuettes such as Blashfield's group continued popular through the 19th century. The enduring attraction of the group appears to have been the manner in which passions were conveyed without markedly detracting from the beauty of the faces.
For more information about J.M. Blashfield, see introductory note preceding lot 125.
The design derives from the antique marble group of Niobe and her youngest daughter now in the Uffizi, Florence, which had been discovered outside Rome in 1583. This famous group was frequently cast and copied, often on a smaller scale; a complete set of casts of the entire group, including the other children, was presented to the Prince Regent after the Napoleonic Wars in exchange for casts of the Elgin marbles, and casts and statuettes such as Blashfield's group continued popular through the 19th century. The enduring attraction of the group appears to have been the manner in which passions were conveyed without markedly detracting from the beauty of the faces.
For more information about J.M. Blashfield, see introductory note preceding lot 125.