An Italian Wood Cristo Morto, Circle of Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Late 17th Century

his head lowered, the perizonium tied on His right side, upon later slate base.

Overall standard wear and surface abrasions. Arms carved seperately. Restorations to fingers on both hands. One pinky lacking. Abraded varnish in areas. Far right portion of drapery at hip level carved seperately, with some chips. Some age cracks. Some chips throughout later base.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present corpus relates to the bronze Cristo Morto from the series commissioned by Alexander VII in 1657 for the Fabbrica of St. Peters, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  These formed six identical pairs of Cruxifixes, each with one living Christ and one dead, and were modeled in wax by Ercole Ferrata, cast by Paolo Carnieri, and chased by Bartolomeo Cennini.  While there are notable differences between that model and the present corpus, including the modeling of the face, the similarity in arrangement of folds in the perizonium, and the anatomy of Christ's abdomen suggest a carver contemporary to Bernini or slightly later who was acquainted with the St. Peters design.