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Workshop of Tiziano Minio — Il letto di Policleto
Workshop of Tiziano Minio

Il letto di Policleto

1540

This marble relief depicts a reclining female figure attended by cherubs and putti in a classically composed scene. The composition is framed by a border of variegated stone, with the white marble figures emerging against a dark background to create dramatic spatial recession. The artist has rendered the drapery with extraordinary delicacy, using fine carving to articulate the flowing folds that frame and accentuate the voluptuous forms. Small child figures positioned at the corners and lower registers provide narrative and compositional balance. The work exemplifies the virtuosic hardstone carving techniques developed in Renaissance Venice, combining sculptural relief with precious material framing.

Medium
Various marbles
Dimensions
Location
David Zwirner 69th Street, New York, NY

Notes

From the exhibition 'Set in Stone' at David Zwirner 69th Street, NYC, May 12 to June 26, 2026, in collaboration with Galerie Kugel, Paris. Tombstone date: Venice, c. 1540-1550.

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About this work

Workshop of Tiziano Minio, Il letto di Policleto, 1540

This marble relief depicts a reclining female figure attended by cherubs and putti in a classically composed scene. The composition is framed by a border of variegated stone, with the white marble figures emerging against a dark background to create dramatic spatial recession. The artist has rendered the drapery with extraordinary delicacy, using fine carving to articulate the flowing folds that frame and accentuate the voluptuous forms. Small child figures positioned at the corners and lower registers provide narrative and compositional balance. The work exemplifies the virtuosic hardstone carving techniques developed in Renaissance Venice, combining sculptural relief with precious material framing.

Medium
Various marbles
Dimensions
28.3 x 38.7 x 11.8 cm
Year
1540
Seen at
Adler Beatty, New York, NY

Related themes

Figurative Sculpture, Precious Materials, Marble Sculpture, Italian Renaissance, Domestic Art Object, Erotic Art, Relief Carving, Drapery Study, Hardstone, Decorative Arts, Pietra Dura Framing, White Marble, Classical Subject Matter, Venetian Workshop, Allegorical, 16th Century, Virtuosic Carving, Dark Ground, Mythological, Spatial Composition