Fall of Phaeton planter at the Winter Antiques Show

Posted on | By Thornton Kay
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New York, USA - Barbara Israel will be exhibiting an antique sarcophagus planter, a figure of Hebe and a recumbent greyhound as well as American, English, and Continental statues, fountains, urns, benches and sundials on her garden ornament and antiques stand at the 58th Winter Antiques Show from January 20-29 at Park Avenue Armory, New York.

The planter has a carved bass relief depicting the Fall of Phaeton, after the 2nd century Roman sarcophagus in the Hermitage. It features Phaeton, son of Helios, falling to his death in the river, having been struck by a thunderbolt from Zeus, with Cygnus the swan and the river god Eridanos nearby. According to Ovid, Phaeton had demanded control of the chariot of the sun god Helios for a day over a paternity issue, but he could not control it, so Zeus shot it down.

The planter is Italian, c1900, carved marble and comes from Hurstmont, the Harding Township, New Jersey estate designed by Stanford White in 1903. The sarcophagus planter is in keeping with the style of ancient Roman sarcophagi but was likely commissioned by Stanford White in Italy around 1900.

Barbara Israel is a luminary of the American garden antiques trade, has written the seminal work on American garden antiques and was an early signatory to the Salvo Code.
Winter Antiques Show
Salvo directory: Barbara Israel Garden Antiques

Story Type: Fair Report