An Italian marble relief portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, attributed to the workshop of Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560), mid 16th century

Giorgio Uzielli, circa 1965

Standard surface abrasions and minor chipping including some on corners. Some inclusions inherent in the marble. Small, stable hairline crack just below his nose and above mustache (approximately 1 1/2 inches long). Some residue from previous framing evident on edges and easily removable. Lovely surface.
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.

Baccio Bandinelli executed a number of portraits of Grand Duke Cosimo I de 'Medici (1519-1574), including a full-length figure for the Palazzo della Signoria, two bronze portraits including, a marble bust in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence and a half-figure in the Palazzo Pitti. The Prince's distinguished, prominent chin and sloping nose are evident in the present relief and in renderings of him by other leading 16^th century Florentine painters, sculptors and medalists including Pontormo, Vasari, Bronzino, Francavilla. As official court sculptor, Bandinelli's influence was far-reaching and his position was coveted even by Michelangelo and Cellini.
He was a faithful servant to Cosimo throughout his career. In many of his images of the Prince, Bandinelli idealized his subject's features and resolved the masses of curly hair in the same manner. Direct comparisons can be made to the sculptor's marble bust of Cosimo in armour (c. 1540-1541) in the Bargello (Langedijk, op. cit., fig. 27,105) as well as a dynamic image of him also in armour and with a turned head in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York circa 1539-40 (accession number 1987.280). The sculptor's fondness for profile reliefs of bearded men and self portraits (SS. Annunziata, Florence, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Joblonna Palace near Warsaw, Museé du Louvre, Paris) is evident. These four reliefs share attributes with the present piece including:  the rendering of the dynamic, compact curls of hair, thick-set necks and large, blank eyes. Moreover, all of these compositions fill the entire surface area of the marble slab, endowing them with a degree of monumentality as the powerful subject of the relief bursts out of the confines of the framework. Both the Joblonna Palace and the SS. Annunziata reliefs also share the idiosyncratic indented or curved truncation,  as do a marble profile portrait of Cosimo, now in the Bargello, given to the school of Bandinelli (langedijk, op. cit., fig. 27,91) and a relief attributed to Bandinelli sold in these rooms January 27, 2011, lot 437 .
We know that Bandinelli made multiple gifts to curry favor with the Medici family. It is possible that, with the amount of work he was executing for Cosimo I and our knowledge of a variety of projects and gifts he completed for members of the Duke's family, the present portrait was given to a member of the Medici from the sculptor or his studio. 

RELATED LITERATURE

A. Venturi, Storia dell' Arte Italiana, 10ii, Milan, 1936 (reprinted New York 1983), pp.187-240.
K. Langedijk , The Portraits of the Medici, 15th-18th centuries, Florence, 1981-87, vol. I, pp. 407-530
I. Galicka and H. Sygietynska, 'a newly discovered self-portrait by Baccio Bandinelli', in The Burlington Magazine, vol. 134, 1992, pp. 805-809
John Pope-Hennessy, Italian Renaissance and Baroque Sculpture, vol. III, 4th edition, London, 1996