Art of Alex Vera

The Art World is a new community for all topics surrounding ]art's.

r/TheArtWorld was created for all people interested in art and being in one community, a place for the 𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩, 𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, about 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙢 and about anything regarding the Art World.

I randomly came across a fascinating article (of course I cannot locate it now) about the many lost, stolen or destroyed works of art over the centuries. It mentioned sculptures being found in the canals of Venice, apparently tossed in by disgruntled artists of centuries past, and one particular painting that stood out to me. If I recall correctly it was supposed to be a large piece by Jean-Baptiste Oudry and was stolen however long ago and has not been seen since. It allegedly depicted a group of hares dressed as men, riding horseback and hunting human men as if they were hares. Anyone ever heard of this, of has my memory associated the wrong artist with the wrong painting?

Today, in a historical text published around 1915, i read M.B sculpted the David {and other major works} while under a continuous stream of water, which “fell from above like a steady shower” so that the marble itself would be wet and easier to work with and sculpt.

i was taken aback.
sculptors, does this sound true? and if so, what device would be used to oversee the water flow? human labor?