The Bather

Maker Gaetano Mercanti (Italian, active 19th century)

Makerformerly attributed to Unknown, French, 18th Century

Makerformerly attributed to Etienne Maurice Falconet (French, 1716 - 1791)

Additional Title(s)

Venus at the Bath
Venere al bagno

ClassificationsSCULPTURE

Dateca. 1861

Mediumwhite marble on grey marble pedestal

DimensionsWithout pedestal: 54 ½ x 14 ½ x 25 in. (138.4 x 36.9 x 63.6 cm)

DescriptionThe sculpture portrays a standing woman emerging from her bath, a towel partially covers her.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.

Status

Not on view

Label TextThis large marble Venus was sold to Henry Huntington in 1927 as the work of the French 18th-century sculptor Falconet. It is in fact a 19th-century work by the Italian sculptor Mercanti, exhibited in Florence in 1861. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the high demand for 18th-century sculpture from collectors such as Henry Huntington often resulted in spurious re-attributions.

Object number27.89