Oliver Cornish
Sale Coordinator for Furniture, Sculpture, Rugs & Tapestries
Lot 26
Francesco Righetti I (Italian, 1738-1819): A patinated bronze figure of the Apollo BelvedereAfter the antique, Roman, the cast dated 1787
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£2,500 - £3,500
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Helena Gumley
Head of Sale Carpets and Tapestries
Francesco Righetti I (Italian, 1738-1819): A patinated bronze figure of the Apollo Belvedere
After the antique, Roman, the cast dated 1787
The semi clad figure looking to sinister, clad in a draped cloak and fig leaf, a quiver to this back, his left arm outstretched holding the handle of his bow, standing beside a serpent entwined rustic tree stump, on circular base, signed and dated within the cast, F. RIGHETTI. F. ROMAE. 1787, 34cm high, 23cm wide
The semi clad figure looking to sinister, clad in a draped cloak and fig leaf, a quiver to this back, his left arm outstretched holding the handle of his bow, standing beside a serpent entwined rustic tree stump, on circular base, signed and dated within the cast, F. RIGHETTI. F. ROMAE. 1787, 34cm high, 23cm wide
Footnotes
Francesco Righetti was among the leading bronze-founders in Rome during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A pupil of Luigi Valadier (1726–1785), Righetti carried on his teacher's legacy and remains closely associated with the artistic spirit of the Grand Tour era. His bronzes were renowned for their exceptional casting and fine finish. However, few bronzes bearing his signature have survived. Given the length of his career and the extensive list of bronzes he offered for sale in 1794 (see Haskell and Penny, p. 343), it appears that he signed only a limited number of works.
The Apollo Belvedere is widely regarded as a celebrated marble statue, believed to be a Roman copy of a lost Greek bronze original attributed to the sculptor Leochares, dating to approximately 330–320 BC. It was discovered in central Italy in 1489 during the Renaissance and subsequently acquired by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, later Pope Julius II. The statue was transferred to the Vatican in 1509 and placed on display in the Cortile del Belvedere in 1511, where it has remained since. Between 1532 and 1533, Giovannangelo Montorsoli restored the sculpture, reconstructing the missing left hand and forearm. A much more recent restoration, completed in 2024, addressed structural issues, including cracks in the legs and knees. The Apollo Belvedere has long been regarded as a masterpiece of classical sculpture, exemplifying ideals of aesthetic perfection that influenced European and Western art, notably inspiring artists such as Albrecht Dürer.
Literature
F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique - The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven and London, 1981, pp. 148-149, fig. 77.