Lot 2264 D‡α

Adam Lenckhardt, attributed to

A carved ivory Venus and Cupid group attributed to Adam Lenckhardt

Carved in the round and partially freestanding. A figure of Venus shown standing and dressed only in a perizonium, placing her extended right foot upon a boulder. At her feet, the little Cupid is depicted handing her an apple. This small and finely carved sculpture is traditionally attributed to Adam Lenckhardt, one of the most important representatives of Baroque ivory carving. Following an apprenticeship under his father Nikolaus Lenckhardt, Adam Lenckhardt travelled throughout Italy before settling in Vienna in 1638, where he advanced to become the chamber sculptor of Prince Karl Eusebius of Liechtenstein from 1642 to 1660.
The wing, formerly attached with a dowel, lost as well as the bow that Cupid would have originally held in his left hand. Some discolouration. Mounted on a modern wooden plinth. Height 26.5 cm (without plinth).