Large marble sculpture 'Venus after the Bath' after Allegrain

Christophe-Gabriel Allegrain (French, 1710-1795) was a sculptor famed and celebrated for his exceptional creations in a blend of the Neoclassical and Rococo styles. Working from the mid-18th Century in France, he secured the important patronage of King Louis XV who commissioned his most famous work 'Venus after the Bath', also known as 'La Baigneuse', after which this fine sculpture was made.

The original sculpture was commissioned by King Louis XV in 1755 and was later exhibited at the Salon of 1767, where it was highly praised for combining the Neoclassical style of sculpture with light, Rococo touches. King Louis XV gave the sculpture to his mistress, Madame du Barry, in 1772, and it became part of the Louvre collection in the early 19th Century, where it can now be viewed.

'Venus after the Bath' has been a popular subject across the arts since antiquity, and this fine sculpture depicts the full-length nude female figure of Venus, Roman goddess of love, towelling her legs with a furled cloth as she rests one foot on a small rock. The sculpture stands on a circular base, which is mounted onto a square ormolu plinth with toupie feet. The curved edge of the rock is signed 'ALLEGRAIN'.

Sculpture: Height 87cm, width 30cm, depth 38cm
Plinth: Height 8.5cm, width 29cm, depth 29cm
Overall: Height 95.5cm, width 30cm, depth 38cm.