Style Napoleon III / Ref.10655

Antoine FRAUK - "Aurora", sumptuous Statuary marble sculpture

The young lady whose nudity and formation of the flesh is delicately depicted by this marble statue, is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, Aurora. Latin goddess of the Dawn, she chases the night away and spreads the morning dew. She can thus be recognized by the flowers she is sowing, and by the morning star which girds her forehead.

Popularized in the 17th century, a statue of Aurora by Philippe Magnier adorns the park of the Versailles palace . This highly poetic subject inspired artists of the following centuries, and remained in the nineteenth century an important subject at the Salon. It is noteworthy that in the nineteenth century, Aurora significantly rejuvenates and takes on a svelte and young silhouette, as is it the case for this statue presented at a Parisian exhibition of the nineteenth century.

At the Salon, several sculptors successfully took Aurora for subject, in particular Alexander Schoenewerk, “Not Competing” in 1867. This statue entered the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon in 1873.

Classified in the "Not Competing" section (Hors Concours), this statue is the work of a renowned artist, invited to show the beauty of his art, however not being in competition with his peers. However, the name of Antoine Frauk, unknown by History, is probably not that of our artist but that of a performer, possibly copyist.

As such, a striking resemblance must be pointed out with a statue of Antonio Frilli, also representing Aurora. This statue of great similarity also represents the young goddess on a sphere, embedded itself in a polygonal base. Frilli's Aurora has a face, body and thick wavy hair treated in the same way, as well as the same posture. She is, however, different, holds nothing in her left hand, and is not crowned by the morning star.

Antonio Frilli, a famous sculptor from Florence (Italy), opened a workshop in 1860, specializing in alabaster and marble statues for villas. He became known internationally, participating in the Universal Exhibitions, and the Frilli Gallery continues to supply many statues for luxury interiors. Our Aurora could thus be a variation by Frilli on the subject of Aurora. We know that his works were sometimes sold in multiple examples, involving then performers such as Frauk. Indeed, reproductions of "a statue of Mr. Frilli" had been sold to the Italian Section of the Universal Exhibition of 1889 .