An Italian White Marble allegorical Sculpture of a Putto as "water," attributed to Domenico Parodi, late 17th century, Genoa, within 19th century surround

Palazzo Orsini, Genoa

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Art historian Piero Boccardo, Director of the Galleria di Palazzo Rosso, Genova, has examined this piece and has confirmed that the central figure of a putto can be attributed to Domenico Parodi (1672-1740), the son of Filipo Parodi the preeminent sculptor of the Genoese Baroque. Parodi's Putto was incorporated into the present baroque style naturalistic surround of  rockwork and bulrushes during the latter part of the 19th century. The ensemble was created for the principal staircase of the Palazzo Orsini in Genoa as part of the refurbishment of the palace in the 1870s and 1880s.

The sculpture's strong baroque carving recalls the work of Santo Varni (1807-1885), one of the most prominent 19th century Genoese sculptors, some of Varni's later masterpieces include the Ninfa con conchiglie, in a Genoese private collection, Amore che doma la Forza, in the Galleria d'arte moderna, Genoa, and Saffo, in a Genoese private collection. These are illustrated in La Scultura a Genova e in Liguria dal Seicento al Primo Novecento, vol. II, Genoa, 1988, figs. 440-444.