A Roman statue by the sculptor of the Trevi Fountain has been found in a salvage yard for about 300 British pounds, equivalent to $400. The 27-inch-tall model was created by Pietro Bracci as a proposal for a larger bronze statue of Pope Clement XII, which the Roman Senate commissioned to honor the pope’s gift to the Capitoline Museums. Unfortunately, the completed bronze statue was melted down for scrap metal about 60 years later, but Bracci’s marble version, believed to have been made in the 1730s, remained intact.
The statue ended up at a country estate in England but lost its appeal and was placed outdoors, becoming a typical garden decoration. A builder with an interest in antiques noticed its quality among many architectural items in a salvage yard in Wiltshire and thought it might be valuable. Woolley & Wallis auction house recently listed it, estimating that it could sell for between $6,600 and $13,300 due to its rarity and the artist’s signature. The auction house’s furniture expert, Mark Yuan Richards, emphasized the significance of discovering an eighteenth-century marble figure of Pope Clement XII by Bracci, presenting a unique chance for buyers. The auction house is expected to announce the final sale price soon.
What do you think about the find of this long-lost artifact?
Sources:
Source: Good News Network, by Good News Network