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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & SCIENCE

VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM
South Kensington, London, S.W.7
Telephone: 01-589 6371

Telegrams:
VICALEUM
LONDON S.W.7

20th November, 1972.

Reference:

Mr. Germain Seligman,
Jacques Seligman & Co., Inc.,
5 East 57th Street,
New York, N.Y. 10022.

Dear Mr. Seligman,

I am very pleased to learn that the little head of Venus has passed into good hands. I was very interested in it while it was in London. I was not in fact so rash as to give David Peel a direct ascription to Tullio Lombardi. I did, however, tell him the following.

The bronze is en suite with a bust of Minerva, which has been published in two versions: one in the Este Collection, formerly Vienna, now Modena (Planiscig, Die Estensiche Kunstsammlung, Vienna, 1919, p.124, No. 188) and the other formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum, Berlin (see Bode, catalogue of Bronzes, 1930 - our copy is being rebound, and I cannot give you a precise reference). The Berlin bronze appears to be of roughly equivalent quality with the head of Venus, and the Este bronze is notably inferior in quality. I know of no second version of the Venus head. Planiscig in the Este catalogue, and again in Venezianische Bildhauer (p.253), ascribed the Este Minvera to Tullio Lombardi, on the basis of comparison with the larger bronze busts usually ascribed to Tullio(and more recently given to Antonio) of which examples are in the Este Collection at Modena and the Wallace Collection (see Bode, I.B.S.R., I, p.39, pl. LXXVII). The Minerva bust in Modena came from Catajo, and was probably in the Este Collection from a very early date.

The Venus bust does not stand comparison with the larger Tullio head in the Wallace Collection in terms of precise points of handling and facture, but it seems to me that stylistically it is so close as to make it virtually certain that the Minerva and Venus heads originated in the Lombardi circle. I do not think that a direct ascription to either Tullio or Antonio could be entertained in respect of them. Yet they are clearly excellent Venetian productions of the time, and one wonders whether there was at one time a complete set of goddesses in this form.

The form of the head seems to be inspired by the form of a certain type of classical bronze balsamarium.

As far as the superb bronze aeolipile at Christie's is concerned, the answer is that I do not believe it to be by Riccio, but I consider it to be perfectly fairly catalogued under his name, since it was published as such by Planaiscig, and no dissentient voice has ever been publicly raised.