Details
Each realistically modeled, raised on later ebonized bases
2914 in. (74.5 cm.) high, 2818 in. (71.5 cm.) wide, 14 in. (35.5 cm.) deep, the taller
Special notice
Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.
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Lot Essay

This pair of hounds is inspired by a single bronze 'Molossian' (ancestor of the mastiff) cast circa 400 BC and acquired by art collector Henry Constantine Jennings during his stay in Rome between 1753 and 1756. The figure was renamed by Jennings himself based on a Plutarch account of the Athenian-born Alcibiades who purchased a large and handsome dog only to have its tail severed. Though the original and the present copies do not lack tails, it was Jennings's hope to associate the figure with the cachet of ancient Greek civilisation. Jennings's original now resides in the British Museum of Art.

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