About this piece
back to topA large scale 19th century Neptune & hippocampus door knocker after Alessandro Vittoria.
Cast from bronze this highly detailed door knocker resembles the statues of Venice and Bologna. The nude figure of the sea god Neptune stands in an open shell, flanked by mythical hippocampi.
The wings of the horse-like creatures intertwine with the tails of fish into a figure of eight, the heads of which are hidden by an armorial shield.
Less detailed examples of this design are held in the British museum dating back to the mid 16th century.
Alessandro Vittoria
Alessandro Vittoria (1525 – 27 May 1608) was one of the foremost ‘Venetian school’ sculptors of 16th century Italy. Born in northern Italy, Alessandro trained under Jacopo Sansovino and later His pupils included Camillo Mariani and Andrea di Alessandro. He died in Venice on 27 May 1608. His tomb, with his self-portrait bust, is in the church of San Zaccaria.
