Italian, Rome, late 17th/ early 18th century

28.5 by 53cm., 11¼ by 20 7/8 in.

Overall the condition of the marble is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is some restoration to the top of the skull, running from where the metal mount has been inserted to the centre of the top of the skull. A section of the back teeth on the proper right side may be reattached and there is a loss (however, this could merely be veining). The tops of the projecting jawbones beneath the cheekbones appear to be reattached. There is veining throughout, consistent with the material. A few of the veins could be partially restored, including a vein running along the proper left side of the cranium. There appears to be a possible reattachment to the bottom of the proper right wing. There are a few small chips to the edges.
"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."

Winged skulls and skeletons, symbolic of Death triumphant, feature in numerous Roman baroque tombs. Gian Lorenzo Bernini included winged skeletons in his monuments to Alessandro Valtini (circa 1641) and Ippolito Merenda (circa 1641), whilst a winged skull can be found on Pietro da Cortona's tomb of Fabio and Ippolito De Amicis (circa 1674). The present carving of a skull follows in this tradition and is likely to have once adorned a tomb. The use of giallo anticomarble strongly recalls the skeleton in the same marble created by Giovanni Battista Gisleni for his own tomb in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, constructed in 1670. Like the figure in Gisleni's tomb, the present skull is represented as animated and, with its fluttering wings, forms a dramatic Baroque image. Winged putti feature in Baroque tombs across Europe, see, for example, the design for a tomb by Nikolaus Bruno Belau (1684-1747) offered at Dobiaschofsky, Bern, on 5 November 2014, lot 1010.

RELATED LITERATURE

G. Ferrari and S. Papaldo, Le sculture del Seicento a Roma, Rome, 1999, pp. 14, 56, 127, 187, 279, 322-323