1904
LEMOT, François Frédéric - attributed (1772 Lyon - 1827 Paris)
Significant, large marble figure of the sleeping Ariadne
White marble (silky polished surface), base covered on three sides with black, yellowish veined marble. Without signature. 57 x 88 x 28 cm.
A sleeping young woman lies on her side on a rock with her right arm almost protectively draped over her head. Her body is wrapped in an artfully draped shawl, the folds of which gently caress the shape of her body. The figure of the sleeping Ariadne has come down to us from a Hadrianic copy of a Greek original from the 2nd century BC, which is now in the Vatican Museums in Rome. The depiction is based on a story from Greek mythology: Ariadne, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos, helps the king's son Theseus escape from the Minotaur's labyrinth with the help of the famous thread. However, during their escape together, Theseus leaves her asleep on the island of Naxos. The resting Cretan princess is shown here at this very moment. Fingers of the right hand and little finger of the left hand and big toe of the left foot glued, slight signs of age and wear.
François-Frédéric Lemot: French sculptor, studied at the École regionale des beaux-arts (EBA) in Besançon, became a pupil of Claude Dejoux (1732-1816) in Paris, study trip to Rome, was the teacher of the sculptor Louis-Marie-Charles Mercier Dupaty (1771-1825). All lots with a limit (starting price) of at least €2,000 are checked against the Art Loss Register database.
Provenance : Museum estate Peter Kaus; acquired for 62.000 € from Kunsthandel Peter Mühlbauer on 20.11.2010 (purchase invoice available), formerly Schürmann Collection, Munich.
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Call time 18 | June 2026 | presumably 17:47 (CET)
Limit 9000 €
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• Calling time: 18. | Jun 2026 | approximately 17:47 uhr