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A Nereid Sitting on a Conch Shell
(18th and 19th Centuries )
A female nude is seated on a drapery-covered conch shell borne on a wave. Her head is wreathed with rushes.
In reviewing the 1877 Salon, Charles Timball made the following observations regarding the marble version of this statue:
One can be reproachful without being severe with the beautiful Triton, regarding some irregularities in her features. The face, one can more readily encounter on our highways and byways than in the bottoms of grottoes of the Aegean. But how can we not pardon the whimsical countenance of a goddess who shows us a back so well modelled, arms of such beautiful form terminated by hands which are vital to the tips of her fingernails.
When acquired, the statuette had a silver rim about its lapis-lazuli socle. The root cavity of the tusk penetrates the bottom of the ivory.
It is signed on the wave: A. MOREAU-VAUTHIER.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Owned by the widow of Augustin Jean Moreau-Vauthier; acquired by William T. Walters, Baltimore, around 1893; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 1/11/1962 | Treatment | cleaned |
Geographies
France (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall (with base): H: 12 3/4 × W: 7 7/8 × D: 6 11/16 in. (32.4 × 20 × 17 cm)
Overall (without base): H: 9 5/8 × W: 6 15/16 × D: 4 1/2 in. (24.5 × 17.6 × 11.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. or Henry Walters, 1893-1895
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.425