Circle of Giovanni Battista Caccini

This refinedly carved and expertly polished marble figure represents the thirteenth-century bishop, San Bonaventura (c. 1217-1274). The key to this identification is the inscription on the bishop’s morse: Doctrina et Veritas. Bonaventura entered the Franciscan order in 1243 and became a prominent defender of the mendicant orders. After the death of Aegidius (Giles of Assisi) in 1262, he became the biography of St Francis of Assisi. Created Bishop of Albano in 1273, Bonaventura was canonized less than ten years after his death. 

The sharp planar folds of the bishop’s cloak contrasting with the fine tubular folds of his cassock are reminiscent of Florentine sculpture in the early 17th century. For this reason, Professor Bellesi has drawn stylistic comparisons with Giovan Battista Caccini and his followers. For example, there is a general analogous conception of the saintly standing figure of St Alessio on the façade of Santa Trinita in Florence, as the saint gestures forward with his right arm, whilst holding a handful of drapery with his left hand, and looks upwards with an expression of divine inspiration. The same stylistic language is apparent in the allegorical statues of Peace and Meeknees in the same Florentine church. Yet, these affinities are not close enough to propose a firm attribution. Similar comparison can equally be proposed with the work of Caccini’s most prominent pupil, Gherardo Silvani, who is principally remembered as an architect; compare, for example his statue of St John Baptist on the altar of Santo Spirito, Florence.

The restrained classicism of this idealized antique portrait locates it in the milieu of Lombardy in the second half of the 16th century. The subject can be discerned from a comparison with the portrait of Antonia Minor in the Castello di Pantelleria, although the elaborate form of her plaited hair is not typical of the Julio-Claudian period. Antonia Minor (36 BC – 37 AD) was the second daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. She was the niece of the Emperor Augustus and sister-in-law of Tiberius. Stylistically, the bust recalls the work of Angelo Marini or Cristoforo Solari. The crisp, methodical carving of the hair shows affinities with the impressive group of St Mary Magdalen supported by angels in Milan Cathedral. A similar approach can be observed in Solari’s figure of St Catherine of Alexandria on the façade of the same cathedral.

The present lot is the subject of an expertise by Professor Sandro Bellesi.

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