Lot 247
  • 247

Italian, possibly Veneto, first quarter 16th century

Estimate
20,000 - 40,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Bust of a Gentleman
  • white marble, on a later gilt and polychromed wood base
  • Italian, possibly Veneto, first quarter 16th century

Provenance

The Bardini Collection, American Art Association, New York, 23-27 April 1918, lot 406
with Piero Tozzi, New York, 1960
thence by descent to Erik Tozzi
Sotheby's London, 9 December 1973, lot 72

Exhibited

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Lively Arts of the Renaissance, 1960, no. 100

Catalogue Note

The present marble bust has been variously attributed to sculptors from  Tuscany and the Veneto. The blank eyes and idealized treatment of his features and the drapery are qualities seen in the work of, for example, Simone Bianco, a Florentine sculptor working in Venice during the first half of the 16th century. While the sitter is currently unidentified, this bust is notable because it is an example of a secular Italian Renaissance portraiture.