Bidspirit auction | Prosper d'Épinay (1836-1914) - Diane

Prosper d'Épinay (1836-1914) - Diane - A sculpture carved from marble, possibly from the quarries of Carrara (Italy). Signed on the reverse: ‘P. d'Epinay / Rome’. On the front of the plinth: ‘DIANE DE WINDSOR’. A work by the French sculptor Prosper d'Épinay (Pamplemousses, Mauritius 1836 – Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, France 1914), who trained as an artist in Rome. He worked for the European aristocracy and was known as the ‘sculptor to the sovereigns’. He received direct commissions from Napoleon III, Queen Eugénie de Montijo and Empress Sissi. However, we must highlight his direct work for Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of England and Empress of India, following her marriage to Edward VII, King of England. The piece in question bears an inscription on the front of its plinth reading ‘Diane de Windsor’. We wish to put forward the hypothesis that the figure of Diana, depicted in this sculpture, may be a portrait of Alexandra of Denmark, as the physical resemblance between the English Queen and surviving photographic images of her is evident. Dimensions: 77.5 (height) x 42 (width) x 26.5 (depth) cm.