Apollo/Aphrodite, (sculpture).

Apollo/Aphrodite, (sculpture).

Coustou, Guillaume, II, 1716-1777, sculptor.

Apollo/Aphrodite, (sculpture).

Commissioned ca. 1750. ca. 1750. Relocated ca. 1899-1901.

Sculpture: French limestone, painted terra cotta; Base: Indiana limestone.

2 figures. Apollo: approx. 76 x 48 x 20 in.; Aphrodite: approx. 72 x 48 x 20 in.; Each base: approx. 72 x 60 x 20 in.

A pair of sculptures in semi-relief, installed on the facade of a mansion, each set on a Rococo-style base. Apollo is seated on a rocky outcropping with his lyre placed behind his proper right foot. A cherub offers him a laurel branch. Aphrodite sits on clouds, and a cherub offers her an arrow.

Mythology -- Classical -- Apollo

Mythology -- Classical -- Aphrodite

Religion -- Angel

Object -- Foliage -- Laurel

Object -- Weapon -- Bow and Arrow

Object -- Musical Instrument -- Lyre

Architectural component

Outdoor Sculpture -- Rhode Island -- Newport

Preservation Society of Newport County, The Elms, Bellvue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island 02840

Formerly located Chateau D'Argenson, Entrance to Grand Salon, Asnieres-Sur-Seine, France, ca. 1750-1901.

Commissioned ca. 1750 by Marc Rene, Marquis de Voyer for his Chateau D'Argenson. Sculptures flanked the entrance to the chateau's Grand Salon until about 1899, when they were purchased by the design firm of Jules Allard e ses Fils, for the Elms, the home of their client Edward J. Berwind. The sculptures were stablized for shipping with a coat of cement wash and painted with a terra cotta colored paint. They were shipped to Newport between 1899 and 1901. Since their installation, losses and separations have occurred with the wings of Aphrodite's cherub and in the area of her hands. Most of the missing pieces have been collected and stored. The sculptures are covered with boxes every winter. IAS files include an excerpt from a 1993 Catalogue Raisonne for the artist.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Rhode Island survey, 1993.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.0

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System