Venetian Renaissance Statue of Nymph with Shells c.1550

An incredibly rare and absolutely stunningly detailed Istrian stone Renaissance Venetian statue of a Nymph with shells c.1550

Almost life-size, a sublimely beautiful Renaissance sculpture, yet practically Modernist in feel - standing in an elegant classical pose, holding shells and corals. One can imagine her standing in a Venetian garden, gazing across the lagoon to the Adriatic Sea in the distance.

With centuries of wear, she now stands as elegant as ever.

The famed architect Jacopo Sansovino, Italian sculptor and architect, who was best known for his works around Piazza San Marco in Venice (1486-1570) wrote about the qualities of the stone:
“It is similar to marble, but firm and strong in character such that it endures for a very long time against the ice and the sun; from it can be made statues, which, when polished with felt like marble…have the appearance of marble“.

Worth noting, she has excellent provenance having stood in a renowned architect designed English Country House.