An Italian painted terracotta bust of a gentleman, early 16th century, Florence

Michael van Gelder of Uccle, Brussels
By inheritance to William van Gelder
Sold Christie's, London, April 16, 1971, lot 164 (sold with a pendant female bust)

Exposition de Primitifs Italiens et d'objets d'Art de la Renaissance, Musée Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, December 1921, no. 50

Bust overpainted. Layers of earlier paint underneath. Probably broken in the truncation, and probably also at his neck, and skillfully repaired. Restorations to hat including flaps. Plaster reinforcement inside proper left shoulder. Some restoration to his nose. Otherwise chips, flaking paint, some restoration, and surface abrasions. Very nicely modeled.
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 lifelike terracotta portrait of a gentleman is a fine example of a popular genre found in Florence during the Renaissance period, however, relatively few examples have survived.

The design of the present bust conforms to established representations of gentlemen in early 16th century Tuscany where the goal was verisimilitude. With the use of details such as wrinkles around the eyes, carefully modeled cheeks and stubble from his beard, an astonishing level of realism was achieved. The finished bust was polychromed to complete the effect of a living likeness and of an alert, confident and a self-posessed individual. The simple form of his tunic was prevalent in portraiture of this period and is also seen in two early 16th century terracotta busts: Ugolino Martelli in the Palazzo Martelli, Florence (Gentilini, op. cit, fig. 10) and Niccolò Machiavelli in the Accademia La Colombaria, Florence (Gentilini, op. cit, fig. 13). In the present portrait, as in the aforementioned examples, the body is fortified by the clothing, covering it in deep perpendicular folds which lead the viewer's eyes upward to the face.

RELATED LITERATURE
G. Gentilini, “Il Beato Sorore di Santa Maria della Scala,” in La Scultura. Studi in Onore di Andrew S. Cienowiecki, vol. II, Milan, 1984, pp. 28 and 29, figs. 10-13

This bust is sold with a copy of a Thermoluminescence certificate, sample no. 364B, from Arcadia Technologie per I Beni Culturali in Milan, stating that the proposed date of the terracotta, late 15th century [or early 16th century], corresponds with the laboratory results.