The Bather
Maker
Gaetano Mercanti
(Italian, active 19th century)
Makerformerly attributed to
Etienne Maurice Falconet
(French, 1716 - 1791)
Additional Title(s)
- Venere al bagno
- Venus at the Bath
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
Dateca. 1861
Mediumwhite marble on grey marble pedestal
DimensionsWithout pedestal: 54 ½ x 14 ½ x 25 in. (138.4 x 36.9 x 63.6 cm)
DescriptionStanding woman emerges from her bath, a towel partially covers her.
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.
Label TextThis large marble Venus was sold to Henry Huntington in 1927 as the work of the French 18th-century sculptor Falconet. It is in fact a 19th-century work by the Italian sculptor Mercanti, exhibited in Florence in 1861. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the high demand for 18th-century sculpture from collectors such as Henry Huntington often resulted in spurious re-attributions.Status
On viewObject number27.89