A North Italian terracotta relief of the Man of Sorrows, attributed to Giovanni de' Fondulis circa 1470-80

"Giovanni Minelli" in Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Sculpture, Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, New York, 2005, no. 8

Chipping and abrasions throughout. Restorations throughout, including restored breaks to top point of backing, through the shoulders, and to both bottom corners. A band of chipping on the reverse. Surface retouched in some areas.
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.
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The present work, formerly ascribed to Giovanni Minelli of Padua, is in fact closer to the work of  Giovanni de' Fondulis, a specialist in terracotta statues from Crema who worked in the Paduan circle of Minelli and Andrea Ricco. The stylistic similarities between Riccio's works and the sculptures now understood to be the work of Fondulis suggest that the two may have had a working relationship.

The present piece is also stylistically related to figures from the Baptism of Christ in the the Museo Civico, Bassano (Gentilini 1991, pp. 61-77), variously ascribed to Minelli and Agostino and Giovanni de' Fondulis. They are modelled with the same thick, undulating locks of hair, the distinctive chest bone and rib cage and the almond-shaped, blank eyes slightly downward sloping at the ends.

The shape of the present work indicates that it may have formed the central section of a tabernacle or altar. 

This lot is sold with a copy of a Thermoluminescence Analysis Report from Oxford Authentication Ltd. indicating that sample N206c13 was last fired between 350 and 550 years ago.

RELATED LITERATURE

G. Gentilini, "Giovanni Minelli de 'Bardi, in Dal Trecento al Seicento. Le arti a paragone, Turin, 1991
G. Gentilini, "Un busto all'antica del Ricco e alcuni appunti sulla scultura in terracotta a Padova tra Quattrocento e Cinquecento," in Nuovi Studi, I, 1996, pp. 29-46, figs. 74-81
S. Bandera, Agostino De' Fondulis e la riscoperta della terracotta nel Rinascimento lombardo, Crema, 1997
D. Banzato, F. Pellegrini and M De Vincenti, Dal Medioevo a Canova. Sculture dei Musei Civici di Padova dal Trecento all' Ottocento, Padua, 2000, pp. 118-122, figs. 44-46.