Quartermaine Hall

Artisan: John Blauer
Date: Unknown
Dimensions: 41 x 21 x 8 mm. / 1 ½ x ⅞ x ⅜ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.003
Intended Room: Gallery
Category: Sculpture

A chance to add another Renaissance masterpiece to the Quartermaine Hall collection! This tiny sculpture is a replica of Giambologna’s original, carved between 1579 and 1583, which stands on the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. Although it has always been known as The Rape or, more accurately, The Abduction of the Sabine Women, it’s not at all clear that this is what Giambologna intended. Rather, it seems to have been an experimentation in the use of multiple interlocking serpentine forms. It’s certainly one of the more challenging Renaissance works to replicate.

When I spotted John Bauer’s smaller version on eBay, I was intrigued. Obviously I couldn’t resist any form of Renaissance art in miniature, but I like to think that Quartermaine Hall will boast not only a version of Giambologna’s original, but also a small wax bozzetto of the kind that sculptors used to test out their ideas before embarking on the final piece.

For a larger and even more ambitious treatment of the theme, see our splendid bronze version by Neil Carter.