Lot 1344 Dα

Heinrich Maximilian Imhof

A marble figure of Miriam with the Timbrel by Heinrich Maximilian Imhof

White Carrara marble carved in the round.. Heinrich Maximilian Imhof entered the studio of Dannecker in Stuttgart in 1820 before travelling to Rome in 1824, where he continued his education under Thorvaldsen. In 1830, he received a commission from King Ludwig of Bavaria to create a bust of Emperor Maximilian I. In 1835 King Otto of Greece offered him a professorship in Athens, but he returned to Rome in 1838. He remained there until his death, primarily sculpting figures from the Old Testament. This work is signed to the plinth "H. IMHOF. FEC ROM. 1867" and depicts a striding young woman playing a tambourine. She represents the prophetess Miriam, who led the women of Israel forth with a song of victory following the parting of the Red Sea and the defeat of the Pharaoh's army in Egypt (Exod. 15:20). The present work is a smaller copy of the original life size marble version sculpted by Imhof in 1859 (now in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart).
Minimal wear to the plinth, otherwise in pristine condition. Height 79 cm.