Unknown

Pair of Antique Yellow Marble Profiles Roman Empresses 17th Century

circa 1630s

Large terracotta group depicting interior scene, northern France, second half of the 17th century. The fine execution of this delightful family interior takes us back to the product...

"The Baptism of Christ," richly carved wooden bas-relief, Italy, 17th century. Carved into the frame, richly carved with branches of leaves and fruit, are the figures of Christ and ...

Marble high relief from the Sienese Montagnola depicting a half-length female profile, Siena, 14th century. High relief, in the 14th-century Sienese tradition, is characterized by...

Antonio-Giovanni Lanzirotti, "La Danza", grande scultura in marmo bianco di Carrara, firmata AG Lanzirotti sulla base. Antonio Giovanni Lanzirotti, nato a Palermo il 9 maggio 1839 e...

Pair of white marble sculptures - Allegory of Summer and Winter. Italy, early 17th century. 13 x 10 x h 30 cm including base, 11 x 9 x h 28 cm excluding base. Entirely in carved wh...

This monumental bust is a museum-quality example of Roman Baroque sculpture. Crafted by the legendary Domenico Guidi and carved from Carrara marble, the impressive portrait captures the visage of Pope Innocent XI, Benedetto Odescalchi (1611-1689). It presents a larger-than-life example of Guidi’s remarkable skill as a sculptor, which ultimately made his workshop one of the most important in Rome during his age. Today, his works are rarely found on the market, particularly his extraordinary works in marble. Pope Innocent XI was born Benedetto Odescalchi into an Italian noble family of prominent bankers. Spending his early years in banking, he eventually turned to the law, earning his doctorate in 1639. His background would serve him well in his service to the papacy, and he became known as a frugal and devout member of the Church. In 1676, he was unanimously elected Pop after the death of Clement X. During his nearly 13-year reign, he instilled his own personal ideals of austerity and frugality onto the Church, with a deep commitment to reform and piety. He is captured here by Guidi in his traditional Pope’s mozzetta and camauro cap. A wide stole is draped over his shoulders, ornamented by acanthus leaves and the coat of arms of the Odescalchi family. It displays Guidi’s mastery over the chiaroscuro effect, particularly in the high level of contrast in his cheeks and his eyes, which Guidi achieved through various methods of high polish. A very similar portrait sculpture of Pope Innocent XI by Guidi can be found in the collection of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The Warsaw bust belongs to a series of portraits of popes which the Odescalchi family commissioned from Domenico Guidi in the 1690s. Compared to that example, the present bust is far more dramatic, with deeper cut lines and a more precise expression. It is likely that the present piece was seen by the Odescalchi family, who ordered a similar one to be made. The piece was almost certainly intended to be displayed in a niche, given its dramatic cutting and its roughly carved back. Others of Guidi’s busts can be found in important collections throughout Italy, England and the United States, though many of these are lesser bronze repetitions. A bronze bust of the Pope Alexander VIII by Guidi is currently in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), while a terracotta version of the same is in the Los Angeles County Museum. A bronze of Pope Alexander VIII can be found in the Princely Collection of Lichtenstein, and his impressive marble papal bust of Clement IX graces the pope’s tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore. The present bust of Pope...

A beautifully hand carved, full size Carrara marble figure of a boy. The robe is elegantly draped with clasps.

An extraordinary 17th century, hand-carved, solid Carrara marble, life sized figure fragment on raised base of the same. The subject is swaddled in a luxurious, gathered robe and tun...