Pio Fedi

Sold in these rooms 21st March, 1988, lot 120

Overall the condition of the marble is excellent. There is some overall dirt to the surface and a few minor chips around the base, including a chip to the hem of her gown. The is an area of loss to the tip of the sword and the sword hilt, from an old break.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This delicate group has an intricate, patterned surface which recalls Pio Fedi's early training as a goldsmith and engraver. The subject is taken from a verse in Dante's Purgatorio mourning the fate of 'La Pia'. In 19^th century scholarship it was believed that 'La Pia' referred to a lady from the Sienese Tolomei family, who married Nello d'Ighiramo only to be put to death by him at the Castello della Pietra in 1295, on suspicion of infidelity. In the 19^th century version of the story Pia was innocent and wrongly killed by confinement in an area where the air of the marshes was fatal. The contemporary commentator Theodosia Trollope, reviewing Fedi's version of the subject, wrote of the 'ill-fated lady' and interpreted the sculptor's depiction as the moment when the husband is about to leave Pia to her fate, ignoring 'her timid words of inquiry.' The first version of the model dates to 1846 and Fedi went on to produce a life-size version for Grand Duke Leopold II. It was one of his most popular models and he produced a number of reductions, mostly for the English market who had a Pre-Raphaelite appreciation of the subject and its treatment. Another version is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The present version has a particularly finely worked surface and is in the rare, smaller size. Nicholas Penny has proposed that this particular version was one of the two marbles in Fedi's studio destined for Mr Overend and Mr. N. Clayton, noted by Mrs Trollope on a visit before 1861.

RELATED LITEARTURE
Trollope, pp. 210-211; Penny, vol. I, pp. 35-37