An ivory figure of an old man as Saturn
Depicted an old man with flowing beard standing on a round plinth clutching a drapery in both hands. H 24.5 cm, H with plinth 31.5 cm
Circle of Balthasar Permoser (1651 - 1732), late 17th / early 18th C.
Born in Upper Bavaria, Balthasar Permoser (1651 - 1732) was appointed to the court of Dresden in 1689 by Elector Johann Georg III, but gained renown primarily for the fantastic creations produced for his son, Elector Friedrich August I, known as August the Strong. His sculptural decor for the Zwinger fascinates visitors to this day, as do the smaller treasures in the Green Vault, such as the exotic figure on an emerald plinth (inv. VIII 303) or his four seasons, also made of ivory (inv. no. II 45, 46, 48, 49).
Many details of this extremely finely worked figure of Saturn are reminiscent of other works by Permoser, the form of the beard, the facial expression, the hands and feet. Nevertheless, the figure appears unusually calm. This Saturn stands with lowered gaze in classical contrapposto on a plain round plinth. Only the fluttering curls of the beard, blown one side, testify to a small movement, as if the figure had moved his head in search of something. This motif was one that Permoser used frequently, not only in depictions of Saturn or Chronos, and thus we cannot rule out an attribution of the sculpture to his own hand.
Certificate
Sales permit for the EU internal has been obtained.
Provenance
From a Belgian collection.
Literature
Cf. Theuerkauff/Möller, Die Bildwerke des 18. Jahrhunderts. Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg 1977, n° 84.
Cf. Asche, Balthasar Permoser. Leben und Werk, Berlin 1978, illus. 136 and 138.
Cf. Stephan, Balthasar Permoser hats gemacht - Der Hofbildhauer in Sachsen, Dresden 2001, no. 18, for a figure of winter from a four seasons series. Cf. ibid. for a large white painted wood figure of Saint Augustine in the Catholic court church (illus. p. 109) with the same head pose and flowing beard.
Cf. Kappel, Elfenbein. Einblicke in die Sammlung Reiner Winkler. Katalog zur Sonderausstellung im Deutschen Elfenbeinmuseum, Wolfratshausen 2001, cat. no. 25, cf. the posture of the spread fingers holding the cloth.
Cf. Louvre, n° inv. no. OA 5987.