Nymph with a Shell
The bronze Nymph with a Shell is a sensitively-cast reduction of one of sculptor Antoine Coysevox’s most celebrated large-scale marbles, itself based on a famous ancient prototype. The bronze shows a nymph leaning on her left hand and holding a shell in her right. She looks down, meditative and focused; a gauzy tunic leaves her left shoulder and breast exposed. The mood is serene. There are two urns beside her, from which flowing water and viscous draperies coalesce. She rests on a piece of earth dotted with shells and marine life atop a rectangle base that contains subtle suggestions of rippling waves.
The Lyon-born Coysevox (1640-1724) was one of the key sculptors active at the court at Versailles during Louis XIV’s reign. In 1683, Louis XIV commissioned Coysevox to make a marble version of the celebrated Borghese Nymph with a Shell, an ancient Roman marble rediscovered during the Renaissance and documented in the Borghese collection by 1638. Coysevox’s marble version was installed in the gardens of Versailles until 1891, when it was taken to the Louvre and replaced by a copy. Despite the fame of Coysevox’s marble, the composition is relatively rare in small-scale bronze.
The Lyon-born Coysevox (1640-1724) was one of the key sculptors active at the court at Versailles during Louis XIV’s reign. In 1683, Louis XIV commissioned Coysevox to make a marble version of the celebrated Borghese Nymph with a Shell, an ancient Roman marble rediscovered during the Renaissance and documented in the Borghese collection by 1638. Coysevox’s marble version was installed in the gardens of Versailles until 1891, when it was taken to the Louvre and replaced by a copy. Despite the fame of Coysevox’s marble, the composition is relatively rare in small-scale bronze.
Artwork Details
- Title: Nymph with a Shell
- Modeler: after a model by Antoine Coysevox (French, Lyons 1640–1724 Paris)
- Date: Late 17th century
- Culture: French, Paris
- Medium: Bronze, on modern porphyry base
- Dimensions: 11 1/4 × 19 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (28.6 × 48.9 × 21 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.283.28
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Antoine Coysevox
early 18th century
Antoine Coysevox
early 18th century
Returned to lender
Antoine Coysevox
1678–81
Returned to lender
Antoine Coysevox
1692–93
Jean Antoine Houdon
1787
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.