AFTER GIAMBOLOGNA (ITALIAN, 1529-1608): AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY WAX RELIEF OF VENUS  the figure standing amongst foliage, with old paper label glued to reverse, inscribed in sepia ink: ‘Reynolds [?]’, ‘W. Etty F. 1818’ on a slate ground, within an elaborate oval foliate frame, cast in stucco and gilded against a dished background covered in light brown velvet; framed in a wooden rectangle and glazed, 33cm x 28cm PROVENANCE: CHARLES AVERY COLLECTION Charles Avery is a specialist in European sculpture, particularly Italian, French, English, Flemish and Dutch. A graduate in Classics at Cambridge University, he obtained a Diploma in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute and a doctorate for published work from Cambridge. Having been Deputy Keeper of Sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum for twelve years (1966-79), and a Director of Christies for ten years, since 1990 he has been a highly respected, independent historian, consultant, writer and lecturer. His books include ‘Florentine Renaissance Sculpture’, 1970, ‘Giambologna the Complete Sculpture’, Phaidon, 1987, ‘Donatello: An Introduction’, John Murray, 1994; ‘Bernini, Genius of the Baroque’, Thames and Hudson, 1997 (paperback, 2006),  and ‘The Triumph of Motion: Francesco Bertos’, 2008. Purchased by Dr Avery from Timothy Millett Ltd., 2005 (£650) Footnote: Please see previous lots for further information. This wax version is labelled as being by William Etty (English, 1787-1849) a painter famous for his nudes, perhaps after Reynolds, and is seemingly dated 1818, which from its style is plausible, even if its authorship cannot be assured.