Lot 45: Wedded

Giovanni Battista Amendola (1848-1887), after Frederic, Lord Leighton, P.R.A., R.W.S. (1830-1869) Wedded inscribed 'Modelled by G.B. Amendola / from the picture of / Sir Frederick [sic] Leighton' bronze, mid-brown patina 14 ½ in. (37 cm.), high

(37 cm.), high

Amendola studied in Naples and subsequently moved to Rome and Paris, and in 1878 to England, where he remained until 1886. Through his close relationship with Alma-Tadema, he met Leighton and swiftly became one of his protégés. By the following year, Amendola had become a famous artist in his own right, and was given many commissions after recommendations from his two friends. He took his subject Wedded from a painting by Leighton of the same title which had been exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1882 and acquired in the same year by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. It was the Fine Art Society who commissioned the sculpture from Amendola, and he started working on the piece in 1885. Wedded was reproduced in silvered bronze, bronze, and terracotta, and was made in two sizes: the smaller stands at 14 ½ in. (37 cm.). The sculpture was also produced as a ceramic, by the Royal Dux Bohemia, a manufacturer of china. Wedded was admired and commended at the time for Amendola’s ability to portray human emotion in bronze. It was also a great accomplishment to create a statue which was finished with so much detail and attention to design.