Sibyl
Maker
Antonio Schiassi
(Italian, ca. 1712 - 1777)
Collections
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
Date1768
Mediumterracotta
Dimensions17 x 19 1/2 x 7 in. (43.2 x 49.5 x 17.8 cm.)
DescriptionThis sculpture portrays the Persian Sibyl, the prophetic priestess presiding over the most famous ancient oracle, believed to deliver prophecies from the Greek god Apollo.
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Art Collectors' Council and the Browning Memorial Art Fund in honor of Margery and Maurice Katz
Label TextThe terracotta figures Sibyl and Prophet (#2009.9.1 and #2009.9.2) are signed by the Italian sculptor Antonio Schiassi and dated 1768. As both figures prominently exhibit the books from which they dispense their oracular wisdom, it is likely that these are models for large-scale sculptures intended to decorate a library whose location has yet to be identified. Schiassi won three times the grand prize for sculpture of the Bolognese Accademia Clementina in Bologna, one of the preeminent art academies in Italy. He worked for the most illustrious local patrons in Reggio Emilia, Sassuolo, Modena, and Bologna, often on commissions for architectural figures and tomb sculpture.Status
On viewObject number2009.9.1
William Blake
ca. 1814-1816
Object number: 000.17
