Lot 114: JOSEPH GOTT (1785-1860), ENGLISH, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY

JOSEPH GOTT (1785-1860), ENGLISH, FIRST HALF 19TH CENTURY SLEEPING CUPID signed: J. GOTT. F. white marble 35 by 59cm., 13¾ by 23¼in.

Joseph Gott entered John Flaxman's studio at the age of twelve in 1798. He furthered his studies at the Royal Academy Schools and won the Gold Medal of the Academy in 1819 for his Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. Gott moved to Rome with his wife and young family in 1822 and, inspired by the antique, he continued to work in a gentle neo-classical idiom concentrating on pastoral rather than heroic themes. He became well known for his charming depictions of children, of which the present marble is a typical example.