Laurent Delvaux (Ghent 1696 - Nivelles 1778), Rome, 1728-1732 Sphinx Terracotta model Headed by Némès; resting on a fully molded rectangular base; monogrammed D Dimensions: 21.5 x 42 x 16.5 cm (8 ½ x 16 ½ x 6 ½ in.) Provenance: Estate of Laurent Delvaux: on March 2, 1778, the work devolved by inheritance to Jean-Godefroid Delvaux ; Brussels, Laurent Delvaux-de Saive collection; Louis Jacques Delvaux Collection; Ixelles, Octave Delvaux-de Breyne (Willa me) collection; Brussels, Mme Madeleine Verstraete collection, then by descent to the current owner. Bibliography: G. Willame, Laurent Delvaux, 1696-1778, Bruxelles-Paris: G. Van Oest et Cie, 1914, p. 59, no. 68. M. Devigne, De la parenté d'inspiration des artistes flamands du XVIIe et du XVIIIe siècle. Laurent Delvaux et ses élèves, Mémoire de l'Académie royale de Belgique, Classe des Beaux-Arts, 2e série, II, fasc. 1, 1928, p. 8. A. Jacobs, Laurent Delvaux 1696-1778, Paris, Arthena, 1999, p. 206, p. 249, n°S 35. A terracotta model of a Sphinx, Laurent Delvaux (Gand 1696 - Nivelles 1778), Rome, 1728-1732 "La Sphinge" is monogrammed D but does not bear any mention of Rome. However, the terracotta, with its lovely blond color, is Roman and not Flemish. While the work is just as delicate and conscientious in its craftsmanship and finished appearance, Delvaux seems to have taken a more assertive liberty in interpreting an antique model. The antique sculpture that most closely resembles his figure is one of the two "Sphinxes" that adorned the walls of the museum. Sphinx" that adorned the gardens of the Villa Borghese in Rome (Paris Musée du Louvre, inv. N 32). He transformed the Egyptian archetype into a more graceful, lively image, with a more assertive naturalism and sensuality befitting 18th-century taste. A second Delvaux's later terracotta Sphinge is listed in his work (loc. cit.). The sphinx in Greek mythology is a female monster, an infernal deity with the face and breast of a woman and the body of a lion (androcephalus), which has inspired artists over the centuries. The sphinx / sphinge was sent to Boeotia to punish the city for the crime of its king, Oedipus' father Laios, who had loved Chryssipos in an unnatural way. Installed on a rocky mount, the monster asked a question to all travelers passing by. Those who failed to solve the riddle were immediately killed and devoured. In ancient Egypt, the sphinx was a mythical figure, a symbol of power and vigilance. The oldest representation is the Giza Sphinx, east of the Khephren Pyramid, dated to around 2500 BC. A cross between sculpture and architecture, it features a monumental reclining lion whose head is that of the ruler Khephren or his father Khufu, wearing the royal headdress Nemes. He is depicted here as the guardian of the necropolis, charged with defending it against potential assailants or evil forces. He is the symbol of sovereign strength, protective and formidable to enemies. This terracotta testifies to his desire to penetrate the secrets of the emotion that contact with antique marble originals in Rome can arouse in an artist sensitive to the classical ideal. Delvaux's primary aim in creating these terracotta sculptures in Rome was to build up a stock of working models for his subsequent career in the Netherlands. He kept them in his studio until the end of his life. The sphinx presented here is of major importance in the appreciation of the work of the famous Flemish sculptor. Its appearance on the art market is an important event for collectors, connoisseurs and art historians alike. The sculpture was part of Laurent Delvaux's estate from March 2, 1778, and has been handed down from generation to generation, where it has remained to the present day. We thank Professor Alain Jacobs for his collaboration. We thank Professor Alain Jacobs for his collaboration.