Reclining Venus

Porphyry, admired for its extreme durability and the depth of its color, was extensively mined in antiquity from hills in eastern Egypt. Its association with the imperial family and the color 'imperial purple' meant that any object made from this precious material immediately evoked images of power and luxury. With the disintegration of the Roman Empire, the widespread exploitation of porphyry also fell into decline, and it was not until the 16th century that there was again an increased interest in its use. In Florence, the Medici Dukes and Grand Dukes promoted the production of works of art in precious hardstones, most notably through the establishment of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in 1588.

Tommaso Fedele (c. 1598–1658) was an Italian Baroque sculptor, so skilled in his work with porphyry that he was given the nickname ‘del Porfido’. He is documented in Florence in the 1620s, where he produced several portraits of the Medici family, including a bust of Cosimo II (now in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, inv. no. 1914 47). He was also recorded in Rome in the 1630s, where he created porphyry reliefs of Sacred Love Defeating Profane Love after a composition by François Duquesnoy (inv. no. E000300) and The Young Hercules after a bronze by Alessandro Algardi (inv. no. E000297). Both of Fedele’s works were given as diplomatic gifts by Cardinal Francesco Barberini (1597–1679) to King Philip IV of Spain (1621–1665) and today form part of the collections of the Museo del Prado. As in the present lot, the two reliefs demonstrate a mastery of this notoriously difficult material and a deliberate juxtaposition of the smooth surface with rougher sections to delineate differences in texture.

Another porphyry work attributed to the circle of Fedele appeared on the art market almost two decades ago, depicting a sleeping child (Anonymous sale; Sotheby's New York, 27 January 2006, lot 484, price realised $180,000).