Two Sphinxes (Accompanied by a Pair of Volute Scrolls)
about 1560
- Medium
- Bronze
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-240136
Eyes closed, bedecked in jewels, elaborately coifed, and wearing drapery pinned with a Medusa head between their breasts, these bronze sphinxes project an icy sensuality. Each of a pair crouches on all fours, her form combining parts of four creatures: a human woman's head and chest, a lion's body, eagle's wings, and a serpent's tail (now missing). Of Egyptian origin, the sphinx was a popular symbol in Greece, where she became known as a symbol of intelligence, voluptuousness, and mystery. In the Renaissance these fantastic creatures were associated with fire and death and thus often ornamented chimneys, hearths, and tombs. An artisan hammered the figures' surfaces and added a few details after casting. The rough finish on the sphinxes' backs reveals that the figures were meant to be viewed from eye level or below. They probably supported two corners of a sarcophagus in a tomb monument.
Provenance
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Registry history
- about 1560 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — sculpture
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