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Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

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Technique: Hand-Painted
Italian 18th Century Hand Carved Wooden Baroque Angel Fragment
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful hand carved Baroque angel fragment. Unique period piece with traces of its old color . Italy, circa 1750 Weathered. small losses. Measurement here below includes the wood...
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Stunning German Yard or Garden Gnome Statue, Antique Germany 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous character ceramic figural gnome statue. This character statue has been made by a unknown Company in Germany, in the 1910s or older. Absolutely gorgeous item with lots of c...
Category

1910s German Folk Art Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

STELIO MOLA - Hand Painted Majolica Sardinian Figure - Italy - Mid 20th Century
By Mola
Located in Chatham, ON
STELIO MOLA - Vintage hand painted majolica figure of a Sardinian gentleman - medium size - featuring elaborate hand crafted and hand painted details throughout - signed on the base ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Folk Art Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Italian 18th century baroque Carved Wooden Silvered Panel / Coat Of Arms
Located in Buisson, FR
Amazing baroque panel depicting a crowned reliquary . Beautiful weathered with traces of its original silver, gilding and colour. Italy circa 1750 Weathered, small losses . Measureme...
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Spanish 18th Century Hand Carved Wooden Baroque Angel
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful hand carved Baroque angel. Unique period piece with traces of its old paint . Spain, circa 1750 Weathered. Several small losses and old repair. Measurement here below in...
Category

18th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Schafer & Vater Rare What a Night Porcelain Novelty Figure
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A rare antique German novelty porcelain figure ‘What a Night’ produced by renowned makers Schafer & Vater and dating from around 1910. The quirky bisque porcelain figure is one of a range of similar figures which were produced at the beginning of the 20th Century. The company was founded by Gustave Schafer and...
Category

Early 20th Century German Art Deco Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Antique German Yard or Garden Gnome Statue with Wheelbarrow, 1910s or older
Located in Nuernberg, DE
A gorgeous character ceramic figural gnome statue - attributed to Griebel in Germany, a well known manufacturer of this kind of figures. This character statue has been made in German...
Category

1910s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Earthenware, Wood

Spanish 17th/ 18th Century Hand Carved Wooden Baroque Angel
Located in Buisson, FR
Wonderful hand carved standing Baroque angel figure. Unique period piece with its original paint . Spain, circa 1650-1750 Weathered. small losses . Measurement here below includes ...
Category

17th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Large 18th Century, Italian Carved Wooden Wing of a Baroque Angel
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful large Baroque angel-wing with its original color and gilding. Extremely rare to find in this size. Very decorative item placed on a wooden base. Italy, circa 1750. Weathere...
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

18th Century Italian Baroque Angel Figure
Located in Buisson, FR
Wonderful angel figure Italy, circa 1750. Weathered , losses Measurement includes the wooden base. Treated against woodworm. H:36cm W:19cm D:19cm
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Pair of Derby Mansion House Dwarf Figures porcelain, 19th Century
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
These are a pair of Derby Porcelain "Mansion House" Dwarfs or "Grotesque Punches" both with incised model numbers and dating to the 19th century. Both figures, male and female are m...
Category

19th Century English Georgian Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Spanish 17th/ 18th Century Hand Carved Wooden Baroque Angel
Located in Buisson, FR
Wonderful hand carved standing Baroque angel figure. Unique period piece with its original paint . Spain, circa 1650-1750 Weathered. . Measurement here below includes the wooden ba...
Category

17th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Monkey Band NINE-Piece Set Porcelain figurines by Sitzendorf , Circa 1910
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
These are a beautiful set of NINE porcelain Monkey Figures or Figurines all playing in a Band made by Sitzendorf, Germany, circa 1910. What makes these figures special is the excell...
Category

Early 20th Century German Baroque Revival Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Collectible Pair of Vintage Porcelain Cats 1970s
Located in Bochum, NRW
Rare Swedish porcelain cat from Guldkroken in Hjo. Vintage. White hand painted facial features & pink bows. Made in Sweden in the 70s. Original makers la...
Category

1970s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Very Large Herend Csikós on Horseback Fine Quality Hungarian Porcelain Figurine
Located in Tustin, CA
Finest quality, very large, handmade porcelain sculpture figurine of a "Csikós on Horseback" has been created for Herend by the famous sculptor, Bela Markup and expertly hand-painted...
Category

20th Century Hungarian Other Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

12th Century Rare Romanesque Wood Sculpture of the Virgin Mary
Located in Vero Beach, FL
12th century extremely rare romanesque wood sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Magnificent wood hand carved sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding a book to her chest. It is an extremely rare survivor of the 12th century. The style is European, possibly French or English. This statue is a testimony to beautiful religious art from about 1150. A truly rare Romanesque sculpture...
Category

15th Century and Earlier English Medieval Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone

LLADRO - Vintage Bending Girl Figurine - Matte Finish - Spain - 20th Century
Located in Chatham, ON
LLADRO - Vintage matte finish ceramic figure - bending girl dressed in her nightgown - retired - factory stamp to the base - Spain - mid 20th century. Excellent vintage condition - ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

German Lusterweibchen Four-Light Chandelier w. Carved Mermaid Figure and Antlers
Located in Barntrup, DE
This amazing German chandelier features a delicate hand-carved and polychrome hand-painted mythical lady or mermaid with a scaly fishtail. The adorable and handsome lady is holding a cartouche-shaped shield. The light fixture is hung on a chain suspension, mounted on real antlers, and decorated with red and yellow wrought iron...
Category

Early 20th Century German Early Victorian Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Wrought Iron

Hyllested Danish Mid-Century Art Pottery Eskimo Figure
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A charming and uncommon Danish mid-century art pottery eskimo figure made by Hyllested Keramik and dating from around 1960. This highly collectable figure is referenced by some as re...
Category

1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware

A Pair Of Antique Italian Capodimonte Porcelain Cherubs
Located in New Orleans, LA
A pair of lovely figures of young children with beautiful hand painted facial features. One holds a bell and is leaning on a tree stump base and the other child with floral leaves. S...
Category

1920s Italian Baroque Revival Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

18th Century Italian Gilded Tabernacle with a Hand-Carved Chalice Fragment
Located in Dublin, Dalkey
18th century Italian gilded and hand-carved tabernacle adorned with an 18th century Italian gilt chalice and Sabina Faye Braxton gaufrage fabric. This tabernacle once belonged in a h...
Category

18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Gold Leaf

Sculptural 18th Century Italian Figure of Christ on Red and White Crystal Quartz
Located in Dublin, Dalkey
Sculptural 18th century Italian figure of Christ and metal sword with large red and white crystal quartz clusters and phantom quartz. The figure of Christ was originally part of a c...
Category

18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Crystal, Rock Crystal, Metal

Pair Antique German Porcelain Birds Parakeets Cockrels Cockatoo Parrots Karl Ens
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An exceptionally fine quality highly detailed pair of German Karl Ens pottery porcelain Parrots Feathered Figures of quite generous size, late Nineteenth, early Twentieth Century. ...
Category

Early 20th Century German Victorian Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Pottery

Rare Vintage Monumental Porcelain Horse Drawn Victorian Carriage centerpiece
Located in Leesburg, VA
Rare Vintage Monumental Porcelain Horse Drawn Victorian Carriage centerpiece group Capodimonte Porcelain, after a model by Giorgio Galletti Naples, Italy; second half of the 20th century Porcelain Approximate size: 37 (w) x 15 (h) x 10 (d) in. This beautiful and elaborately detailed porcelain group features an ornately modeled carriage drawn by four horses. The coach features a driver seated on his perch wearing a tricorn hat and a lovely lady is seated in the coach box wearing a light blue dress with intricate gesticulating openwork porcelain lace...
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Late Victorian Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Italian 19th Century Carved Wooden Saint Figure
Located in Buisson, FR
Very nice saint figure. Hand carved wood with glass eyes Italy, circa 1800-1850. Weathered, small losses.
Category

19th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Art Deco Italian Ceramic Animal Figurine Macaw Parrot Porcelain Bird Figure
Located in Wommelgem, VAN
Art Deco tall Italian animal Figurine Ceramic Parrot Macaw on a tree trunk Material: porcelain, ceramic, tin glazed Design: Cacciapuoti style...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Baroque Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Majolica, Porcelain

Sergio Bustamante Signed Man At Window Ceramic Sculpture
Located in Forney, TX
A scarce vintage ceramic art sculpture by legendary 20th century Mexican artist Sergio Bustamante (b.1949). Fantastical surrealist style hand pa...
Category

20th Century Mexican Post-Modern Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Earthenware

1900s French Barbotine Majolica Mourning Flowers, Rose Violet Peony Carnation
Located in Haarlem, NL
Set of twenty four hand made and hand painted barbotine majolica ceramic early 1900s so called mourning flowers. In this set you find: Roses, violets,...
Category

Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Majolica

Andy Warhol-Inspired Carved Alabaster Bananas, Set of 2
Located in Round Top, TX
From the early 20th century, and before, the imagery of the humble banana has always captured our interest and attention. From Claes Oldenburg to Any Warhol and more recently, Mauriz...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Alabaster

French 18th Century Hand Carved Baroque Winged Angel Head
Located in Buisson, FR
Wonderful hand carved winged angel head with its original color and gilding. France, circa 1750 Weathered and small losses and old repair. Treated against woodworm. Measurement here...
Category

18th Century French Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Contemporary "Eggs Carton The Best", All Pieces Numbered, Handmade in Italy
Located in San Miniato PI, IT
Born in 1992 in Macerata in the Marche region, the Italian artist carried out a path that between studies of Surveyor and Architecture led him to a long collaboration with a craft co...
Category

2010s Italian Industrial Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Gold Leaf

SECOND HALF OF THE 18th CENTURY MEISSEN PORCELAIN CRUCIFIX
Located in Firenze, FI
Beautiful polychrome porcelain crucifix from the Meissen factory, one of the oldest and most prestigious European porcelain manufacturers. The brand...
Category

Late 18th Century Italian Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Wood, Paint

Carving Wooden Sculptures Book End Set Of 2 Decorative Figurine of Book Holders
Located in Wembley, GB
Book Ends Wooden style acrylic Sculptures A Set Of 2 Decorative Figurines of Human Book Holder Beautifully stylized a set of figurines with a great ba...
Category

1990s Turkish Art Deco Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Acrylic, Wood, Fruitwood, Driftwood, Pine, Bog Wood

French Tole-Painted Floral Dummy Board – Basket of Tulips & Hydrangeas, 20th C.
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
French Tole-Painted Floral Dummy Board – Basket of Tulips & Hydrangeas, 20th Century A charming French tole-painted floral dummy board, 20th century, crafted in the form of an abu...
Category

20th Century French Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Italian Ceramic Sculpture Madonna Virgin & Child Pattarino 1960s Figure
Located in Wommelgem, VAN
Italian ceramic terracotta sculpture Depicting Madonna , Virgin & Child religiousstatue Material: Earthenware terracotta, tin glaze and partially gilded Modeled and painted by h...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Gold Leaf

Antique Meissen School Hand Painted Bisque Porcelain Mother & Child Figure c1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Hand Painted Bisque Porcelain Mother & Child Figure in the Manner of Meissen c1920 Measures- 17.25"H x 9.25"W x 9.25"D
Category

Early 20th Century Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

18th Century Italian Double-Mounted Cross on Hematite with Pyrite Inclusions
Located in Dublin, Dalkey
Sculptural 18th century Italian gilded double-mounted cross on hematite with pyrite inclusions and adorned with pyrite rosettes. A matching smaller cross is mounted onto the bigger cross...
Category

18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Quartz, Rock Crystal, Pyrite

Bjørn Wiinblad. ‘Autumn’ from the series ‘The Four Seasons’, ceramic figurine.
Located in København, Copenhagen
PRE-OWNED GOODS ARE EXEMPT FROM IMPORT TARIFFS FOR U.S., UK, AUSTRALIAN & CANADIAN CUSTOMERS. THEREFORE, NO IMPORT TARIFFS WILL BE APPLICABLE TO YOUR PURCHASE. Bjørn Wiinblad (1...
Category

1980s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Samuraï Puppet Musha Nyngyo A Set of 2 Sculpture
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture Samuraï Puppet Musha Nyngyo A Set of 2 with structure in wood, hand-carved wood, hand-painted wood, hand-lacquered wood, covered with hand-em...
Category

Early 1900s Japanese Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Silk, Wood

Mid 20th Century Large Floor Figurative Sculpture by Robert Cremean, 1960
Located in Pasadena, CA
Very fine large sculpture by Robert Cremean Item is unsigned, but was purchased directly from Esther Robles gallery. The famous gallery that represented this artist on the 1960s. Th...
Category

1960s American Other Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Paint, Hardwood

Lladró Flowers Market Sculpture. Limited Edition
Located in New York City, NY
This high porcelain creation takes its name and inspiration from Le Marché aux fleurs, a beautiful flower market in Paris by the banks of the Seine, which opened in 1830. Boasting a wealth of sculptural, floral and decorative details, this composition recreates a typical period scene and transports us to the idyllic Romanticism of the 19th century. The rich fabrics, lace and colors of the ladies’ gowns...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Chinoiserie Pagoda
Located in New York, NY
Chinoiserie pagoda. Very decorative Italian painted plaster and wood three-tiered pagoda alla Mongiardino emanating from marine inspired grotto base with four masks issuing water in...
Category

20th Century Italian Chinoiserie Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Gesso, Shell, Wood

Pair Royal Dux Staffordshire Porcelain Birds Parakeets Cockrels Cockatoos
Located in Dublin, Ireland
An exceptionally fine quality highly detailed pair of Royal Dux Czech Republic pottery vivid Majolica Parrot Feathered Figures of quite generous size, Mid Twentieth Century Each ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Czech Victorian Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Pottery

Pair of 19th Century Limoges Monvoisin Porcelain Figurines
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a stunning pair of mid to late 19th century French Limoges Bisque porcelain figurines from circa 1870. One is of a lady in period dress/attire cradling a Dove. All hand-painted and decorated to the finest quality. The base is marked with the makers initials “C.H.”. She is made of fine bisque porcelain in the Old Paris porcelain style. The other is of a gentleman set...
Category

19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

Antique Lifesize Crowned Mother Mary and Child Jesus Gothic Revival Sculpture
Located in Lisse, NL
Hand carved wood antique statue of Mother Mary wearing a Gothic crown. This original and all hand carved sculpture of the mother of all mothers is anothe...
Category

Early 20th Century European Gothic Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Painted Bronze Sculpture of Woman Holding a Palm Leaf by Franz Bergmann, Austria
Located in North Miami, FL
Jugendstil cold-painted bronze sculpture of a woman holding a palm leaf by Franz Bergmann, Austria By: Franz Bergmann, Nam Greb Material: bronze, copper, tin, metal, paint Technique...
Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Bronze, Copper, Tin

19th Century Derby Mansion House Dwarf Figurines, Set Of 2
Located in Bradenton, FL
Wonderful pair of Derby Porcelain "Mansion House" dwarfs. Both figures are modeled wearing large hat advertisements, most likely as they stood outside Mansion House in London. Both f...
Category

19th Century English Georgian Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Lladró Cleopatra Sculpture. Limited Edition.
Located in New York City, NY
Cleopatra, the most famous queen of ancient Egypt, is represented in this masterful limited edition in High Porcelain. This exclusive high porcelain piece, made in matte porcelain...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

French Gilded Gold Fleur-de-Lis Sculpture Object
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Classic gold Fleur-de-Lis sculpture that has been gilded. The fleur-de-lis is based on the shape of a lily. Traditionally, it has been used to represent French royalty, and in that s...
Category

20th Century French French Provincial Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Gold

Pair of 18th Century Italian Dancing Angels with Baroque Pearls on Aragonite
Located in Dublin, Dalkey
Pair of 18th century Italian dancing angels with coordinating baroque pearls on aragonite crystal clusters. The dancing angels are hand-carved wood, polychromed and gilded, original...
Category

18th Century Italian Rococo Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Rock Crystal, Gold Leaf

Meissen Porcelain Boy with Dog Figure
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A fine antique German porcelain figure of a boy with a dog by world renowned makers Meissen and dating from the 19th century. The figure of a young boy in typical period dress stands...
Category

19th Century German Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Italian 18th Century Carved Wooden Baroque Arm Of A Saint Figure
Located in Buisson, FR
Amazing 18th century carved wooden Baroque arm of a Saint figure. This piece was once part of a procession Saint figure. The arm is now placed at a wooden base and as visible on the ...
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Japanese Carved and Lacquered Wood Shogun, Edo Period, 19th Century, Japan
Located in Austin, TX
An unusual Japanese carved wood, lacquer, and gilt decorated portrait sculpture of a shogun, Edo Period, early 19th century, Japan. The unidentified shogun (possibly Tokugawa Iey...
Category

Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Lacquer

Queen Amidala in the Throne Room, Limited Edition
Located in New York City, NY
One of the female characters of the most famous fantasy saga in history is faithfully reproduced in this porcelain piece which is sure to delight the countless fans of Star Wars all over the globe. Finished in white matte porcelain with touches of glaze, enamels and golden luster, the piece is decorated with the character’s signature colors. It depicts Queen Amidala in ceremonial robes, celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

72" Tall Articulated Wood Pinocchio Store Display Folk Art Toy Sculpture - Italy
Located in St. Louis, MO
Vintage oversized or lifesize fully articulated Pinocchio store display or prop, Italian made wooden sculpture, that later became the famous and popular Disney character. Hand paint...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Pair of Old Blue Glazed Chinese Ceramic Rooster Figures
Located in Norton, MA
A large pair of Chinese turquoise glazed porcelain roosters with purple combs, circa 1920.
Category

1920s Chinese Other Vintage Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Exquisite Polychrome Spanish santo wood sculpture of St. Dominic
Located in Leesburg, VA
Exquisite Polychrome Spanish santo wood sculpture of St. Dominic Anonymous ca. 1700; Spain or the Spanish Americas Polychrome wood Approximate ...
Category

Early 1700s Spanish Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Paint

Chinese Republic Period Porcelain Figure of Shouxing, the God of Longevity
Located in Austin, TX
A finely modeled Chinese porcelain figure of the Chinese God of Longevity, Shouxing, Republic Period, early 20th century, China. The God of Longevity, called Shouxing or Shoulao, stands upright holding a dragon staff in one hand, a peach (a symbol of immortality), in the other. He is dressed in a long yellow robe...
Category

Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

18th Century Italian Crucifix on Emerald in Matrix on Mica
Located in Dublin, Dalkey
Sculptural 18th century Italian crucifix mounted on emerald in matrix on a reflective mica base. The crucifix artifact is originally hand carved wood with silver leaf from a church ...
Category

18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Rock Crystal

Rare and important painted bronze Crucifix after a model by Michelangelo
By Michelangelo Buonarroti
Located in Leesburg, VA
A rare and very fine bronze corpus of Christ after a model by Michelangelo, cast ca. 1597-1600 by Juan Bautista Franconio and painted in 1600 by Francisco Pacheco in Seville, Spain. The present corpus reproduces a model attributed to Michelangelo. The best known example, lesser in quality, is one on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). The association of this corpus with Michelangelo was first brought to light by Manuel Gomez-Moreno (1930-33) who studied the wider circulated casts identified throughout Spain. The attribution to Michelangelo was subsequently followed by John Goldsmith-Phillips (1937) of the MET and again by Michelangelo expert, Charles de Tolnay (1960). While Michelangelo is best known for his monumental works, there are four documented crucifixes he made. The best known example is the large-scale wooden crucifix for the Church of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito in Florence, made in 1492 as a gift for the Prior, Giovanni di Lap Bicchiellini, for allowing him to study the anatomy of corpses at the hospital there. In 1562, Michelangelo wrote two letters to his nephew, Lionardo, indicating his intention to carve a wooden crucifix for him. In 1563 a letter between Lionardo and the Italian sculptor Tiberio Calcagni, mentions this same crucifix (a sketch of a corpus on the verso of a sheet depicting Michelangelo’s designs for St. Peter’s Basillica [Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille] may reproduce this). That Michelangelo was working on small corpora in the last years of his life is further evidenced by the small (26.5 cm) unfinished wooden crucifix located at the Casa Buonarroti, considered his last known sculptural undertaking. Michelangelo’s contemporary biographer, Giorgio Vasari additionally cites that Michelangelo, in his later years, made a small crucifix for his friend, Menighella, as a gift. Surviving sketches also indicate Michelangelo’s study of this subject throughout his career, most notably during the end of his life but also during the 1530s-40s as he deepened his spiritual roots. The occasional cameo of crucified Christ’s throughout his sketched oeuvre have made it challenging for scholars to link such sketches to any documented commissions of importance. All the while, in consideration that such objects were made as gifts, it is unlikely they should be linked with commissions. Nonetheless, a number of theories concerning Michelangelo’s sketches of Christ crucified have been proposed and some may regard the origin of the present sculpture. It has been suggested that the corpus could have its impetus with Michelangelo’s work on the Medici Chapel, whose exclusive design was given to the master. It is sensible smaller details, like an altar cross, could have fallen under his responsibility (see for example British Museum, Inv. 1859,0625.552). Others have noted the possibility of an unrealized large marble Crucifixion group which never came to fruition but whose marble blocks had been measured according to a sheet at the Casa Buonarroti. A unique suggestion is that Michelangelo could have made the crucifix for Vittoria Colonna, of whom he was exceedingly fond and with whom he exchanged gifts along with mutual spiritual proclivities. In particular, Vittoria had an interest in the life of St. Bridget, whose vision of Christ closely resembles our sculpture, most notably with Christ’s proper-left leg and foot crossed over his right, an iconography that is incredibly scarce for crucifixes. The suggestion could add sense to Benedetto Varchi’s comment that Michelangelo made a sculpted “nude Christ…he gave to the most divine Marchesa of Pescara (Vittoria Colonna).” Of that same period, two sketches can be visually linked to our sculpture. Tolnay relates it to a sketch of a Crucified Christ at the Teylers Museum (Inv. A034) of which Paul Joannides comments on its quality as suggestive of preparations for a sculptural work. Joannides also calls attention to a related drawing attributed to Raffaello da Montelupo copying what is believed to be a lost sketch by Michelangelo. Its relationship with our sculpture is apparent. Montelupo, a pupil of Michelangelo’s, returned to Rome to serve him in 1541, assisting with the continued work on the tomb of Pope Julius II, suggesting again an origin for the corpus ca. 1540. The earliest firm date that can be given to the present corpus is 1574 where it appears as a rather crudely conceived Crucifixion panel, flanked by two mourners in low-relief and integrally cast for use as the bronze tabernacle door to a ciborium now located at the Church of San Lorenzo in Padula. Etched in wax residue on the back of the door is the date, 27 January 1574, indicating the corpus would have at least been available as a model by late 1573. The Padula tabernacle was completed by Michelangelo’s assistant, Jacopo del Duca and likely has its origins with Michelangelo’s uncompleted tabernacle for the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Rome. The impetus for the Padula tabernacle’s Crucifixion panel begins with a series of late Crucifixion sketches by Michelangelo, depicting a scene of Christ crucified and flanked by two mourners (see British Museum Inv. 1895.0915.510; Ashmolean Museum Inv. 1846.89, KP II 343 recto; Windsor Castle RCIN 912761 recto; and Louvre Inv. 700). A faintly traced block possibly intended for sculpting the sketch of the crucified Christ on its recto was discovered by Tolnay on a version of the composition at Windsor Castle. The Windsor sketch and those related to it appear to have served as preparatory designs for what was probably intended to become the Basilica of St. Mary’s tabernacle door. Vasari documents that the project was to be designed by Michelangelo and cast by his assistant, Jacopo del Duca. Michelangelo died before the commission was complete, though on 15 March 1565, Jacopo writes to Michelangelo’s nephew stating, “I have started making the bronze tabernacle, depending on the model of his that was in Rome, already almost half complete.” Various circumstances interrupted the completion of the tabernacle, though its concept is later revitalized by Jacopo during preparations to sell a tabernacle, after Michelangelo’s designs, to Spain for Madrid’s El Escorial almost a decade later. The El Escorial tabernacle likewise encountered problems and was aborted but Jacopo successfully sold it shortly thereafter to the Carthusians of Padula. An etched date, 30 May 1572, along the base of the Padula tabernacle indicates its framework was already cast by then. A 1573 summary of the tabernacle also describes the original format for the door and relief panels, intended to be square in dimension. However, a last minute decision to heighten them was abruptly made during Jacopo’s negotiations to sell the tabernacle to King Phillip II of Spain. Shortly thereafter the commission was aborted. Philippe Malgouyres notes that the Padula tabernacle’s final state is a mixed product of the original design intended for Spain’s El Escorial, recycling various parts that had already been cast and adding new quickly finished elements for its sale to Padula, explaining its unusually discordant quality, particularly as concerns the crudeness of the door and relief panels which were clearly made later (by January 1574). Apart from his own admission in letters to Spain, it is apparent, however, that Jacopo relied upon his deceased master’s designs while hastily realizing the Padula panels. If Michelangelo had already earlier conceived a crucifix model, and Jacopo had access to that model, its logical he could have hastily employed it for incorporation on the door panel to the tabernacle. It is worth noting some modifications he made to the model, extending Christ’s arms further up in order to fit them into the scale of the panel and further lowering his chin to his chest in order to instill physiognomic congruence. A crude panel of the Deposition also follows after Michelangelo’s late sketches and is likewise known by examples thought to be modifications by Jacopo based upon Michelangelo’s initial sculptural conception (see Malgouyres: La Deposition du Christ de Jacopo del Duca, chef-d’oeuvre posthume de Michel-Ange). Jacopo’s appropriation of an original model by Michelangelo for more than one relief on the Padula tabernacle adds further indication that the crucifix was not an object unique to Jacopo’s hand, as few scholars have posited, but rather belongs to Michelangelo’s original...
Category

16th Century Renaissance Antique Hand-Painted Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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