Edward Hodges Baily (British, 1788-1867): A carved white marble figure of 'Eve listening to the voice of Adam' The seated young female nude partially supporting her turned body on her right arm, her left arm raised, her inclined head with parted lips and uplifted eyes in an expression of attentiveness, on integral naturalistic oval base, the rear inscribed, signed and dated EVE by E.H. BAILY R.A. Sculpt, London 1848, 90cm high, 125cm wide, 66cm deep, together with a pair of modern composition double scroll ended bracket supports, 39.5cm high, 14.5cm wide, 36cm deep (3) Footnotes: Provenance The Guy Bailey Collection of Victorian Art. The theme of Baily's 'Eve Listening to the Voice', also known as 'Eve Listening to the Voice of Adam', was inspired by Book IV of Paradise Lost, John Milton's epic poem first published in 1667. Later mistakenly retitled 'Eve Listening to the Voice of Satan', the sculpture depicts the moment in the Garden of Eden when Eve, entranced by her own reflection in the water, turns to Adam, who gently reminds her: 'What there thou seest, fair creature, is thyself'. Executed in marble in 1842, the composition developed from Baily's earlier and highly acclaimed 'Eve at the Fountain', conceived from the same Miltonic source. The plaster model was completed in 1819, with the marble version following in 1821. The work secured Baily full membership of the Royal Academy and established his reputation as one of the leading British sculptors of his generation. Both in composition and neoclassical treatment, the figure drew inspiration from the celebrated antique 'Nymph with a Shell', now in the Musée du Louvre. That sculpture, a second-century Roman copy of a lost Greek original, enjoyed enormous popularity from the seventeenth century onwards and was widely reproduced in marble and plaster. A signed and dated version of 'Eve at the Fountain' from 1822 is held by the Bristol City Art Gallery, while the original plaster model survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection (Museum no. A.3-2000). In 'Eve Listening to the Voice of Adam', Baily revisited the earlier composition with subtle but significant alterations, principally in the position of the head and left hand. Whereas the earlier figure gazes downward in contemplation of her reflection, the later version lifts her head and raises her hand in gestures suggestive of listening and response, lending the work a heightened sense of psychological engagement. In a lecture delivered at the Royal Academy, the sculptor Henry Weekes described Baily as 'an earnest pupil of Flaxman', adding that he was 'a more finished modeller than his master, though with less feeling and sentiment, and less power in design'. Nevertheless, Weekes praised Baily's Eve as 'one of the most beautiful examples of English ideal Sculpture as yet known to us'. A signed and dated version of 'Eve Listening to the Voice' is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum collection (Museum no. A.468-1875). Edward Hodges Baily, among the foremost British sculptors of the nineteenth century, was the son of a ship's carver and began his career modelling in wax. He spent seven formative years in the studio of John Flaxman, who regarded him as his most devoted pupil, before continuing his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Baily is perhaps best remembered today for the statue of Horatio Nelson atop Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, though his oeuvre also included important commissions for Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. It was, however, 'Eve at the Fountain', first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1818, that first brought him widespread public acclaim. Owing to their popularity, many of Baily's compositions, including the present model, were reproduced in reduced form for the expanding nineteenth-century market in Parian porcelain. Baily also produced a series of busts derived from his model of Eve This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Ω TP Ω VAT on imported items at the prevailing rate on Hammer Price and Buyer's Premium. TP For auctions held in Scotland: Please refer to the catalogue and/or after-sale information or contact Edinburgh@Bonhams.com for more information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (The Packengers, Unit 9, Abbey Mead Industrial Park, Brooker Road, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1HU, England, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue and/or after-sale information, sent out to all buyers post-sale. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 10 calendar days from the auction date. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing