Bathing Venus. Naples, Chiurazzi Foundry. 19th century. Bronze with archaeological patina.

50 x 19 x 16 cm

The Chiurazzi foundry was founded in Naples in the 19th century (1870) in the wake of the archaeological discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Above all, the founding of the Archaeological Museum of Naples at the end of the 19th century created the need to replicate and trade the objects found in the excavations and kept in the museum, in Italy and Europe.

The foundry reproduced everything found in the excavations and fueled the thriving international market in archaeological reproductions.

We talk about everything foreign travelers on the Grand Tour longed for, wanting to bring home a piece of classical Italian art from the 18th century onwards.

The Chiurazzi foundry combined industrial production with the refinement of artistic workmanship.

The catalogue printed by the foundry and distributed throughout Europe is extraordinarily useful, with prices, dimensions and coatings available to order.

Our Bathing Venus is included in the catalog and, although not Marcata, undoubtedly belongs to that production. The archaeological patina is the one required for this very elegant casting.

A truly rare bronze compared to others that are more easily encountered, it reproduces a Venus excavated in Nocera.

Note the sinuosity of the shapes and the quality of the workmanship.

Bibliography:
Fonderie Artistiche Riunite Chiurazzi-De Angelis, 1911 catalogue, Ferruccio Lazzari printing workshop, Naples 1911, item 4898, Venus a la toilette found in Nocera.