Lot Essay
The Furietti Centaurs were discovered by Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti (1684-1764) during excavations of the domed hall at Hadrian's Villa in December 1736. A year after Furietti's death and in the face of competition from the English, they were secured by Pope Clement XIII for thirteen thousand scudi and placed in the Capitoline.
The discovery of the centaurs was celebrated by means of fine engravings by Girolamo Frezza and by 'bronzetti' cast by Francesco Righetti and Giacomo or Giovanni Zoffoli, such as the present signed version.
The discovery of the centaurs was celebrated by means of fine engravings by Girolamo Frezza and by 'bronzetti' cast by Francesco Righetti and Giacomo or Giovanni Zoffoli, such as the present signed version.