Italian Putti Bronzes on Marble Column Plinths, a Pair

A gilded bronze dore lion on a custom malachite base. France, circa 1880. 

Pair of bronze doré Byzantine style angels with original green color over bronze on the wings. Mounted on lucite stands.

This strikingly naturalistic bronze sculpture was created in Florence in 1895. The bust depicts an elderly man, most likely a farm worker, carrying a heavy sack of grain over his shoulder. He wears an old slightly ragged shirt which is open at his chest, revealing his thin body underneath. The man looks out into the distance on the left, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. His mouth is open as though he is breathing heavily with the strain of the work or calling out to someone unknown to the viewer. The sculptor has accurately rendered every detail, with great truth to reality. The faint stubble on the man's chin and the wrinkles on his face and hands are faithfully portrayed. In its naturalistic style and its everyday, unidealised subject-matter, this bronze may be described as a work of Realism. The Realist movement flourished in the arts in Europe in this period, the 19th Century. The bust is signed ‘G Rossi...

Large pair of 19th century bronze putti playing musical instruments. Mounted on green marble bases.