After models by Guglielmo della Porta (circa 1515-1577) Probably executed by Antonio Gentili or Jacob Cornelisz Cobaert Italian, Rome, circa 1570-1580

the painted miniature of The Deposition attributed to Giovanni Battista Castello, Il Genovese (1547-1637) 

Marquess Alessandro Gregorio Capponi, Rome, until 1747;
by descent to his cousin Count Ferrante Maria Capponi, Florence, 1747;
and thence by family descent to the current owner, Florence

“Testamento di Alessandro Gregorio Capponi, 1747”, Testamenti Capponi,  Archivio Capponi alle Rovinate, Florence;
J.M. Bauman, Miniature painting and its role at the Medici court in Florence, 1537-1627, Baltimore, 1999, p. 114

Overall the condition of the altar is good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The altar is made in sections, some of the gilt bronze elements are a little loose. There are a few small lacunae in the gilt bronzes, such as to Christ's neck on the proper left side and his perizonium; and in the crevices of the mourner's drapery. There are some larger lacunae in the Magdalen's drapery to the front between her legs. There are also a few small stable fissures, such as in St John's drapery behind his feet. There are dirt residues to the crevices of the gilt bronzes. There are two drilled holes in the Magdalen for mounting and the figures of the Virgin and St John have pins to slot into the base (one of St John's pins is lost). There is dark spotting to the gilt bronze work. There is rubbing to the gilding in areas, in particular at Christ's proper right knee. The screw at Christ's feet is lost, and those at his hands are later. The screws connecting the terminals to the crucifix may also have been replaced. There are a few small plugs in the bronze work, including to Christ's proper right arm. There are a few holes in the gilt bronze which may be deliberate, such as to the cherub at the back on the top terminal. The wood is in good condition, with minor stable splitting consistent with the material, in particular to the moulding to the right of the painting and to the wood below the figure of the Virgin and to the base at the front right and to the left side and to the left volute. The ebony inlay has been laid in sections and stable original joints are present. There are a few probably original wood inserts, in particular to the two cornice mouldings below the crucifixion. A few sections appear to be reattached, including the front right corner of the base. There are a few non-active worm holes at the top of the base and at the back and to the top of the right volute. There are veins and some stable splits and some losses to the marble inlays. The vellum is in good condition overall, with minor wear consistent with age. There are some abrasions to the top of the base and the cross, where the Magdalen has been positioned.
"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 group of gilt bronzes is a new addition to an expanding corpus of exquisitely finished metalwork associated with the Roman workshop of the prolific Guglielmo della Porta. Recognisable by their elegant designs and a goldsmith’s approach to detailing the surface, comparisons for the bronzes and their inlaid base can be found among several papal commissions executed by Della Porta and his pupils in Saint Peter’s Cathedral, the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, and the Palazzo Venezia in Rome. The presence of a miniature attributed to a contemporary painter from Della Porta’s previous home, Genoa, underlines that his workshop functioned as a hub for the greatest talents of the time. The crucifix is documented as being in the possession of the illustrious family of the current owner as early as 1747.

Perhaps even more successfully than Michelangelo, with whom he struck up a friendship upon his arrival in Rome in the 1530s, Guglielmo della Porta managed to turn his practice into a magnet for young artists with a range of specialties. The talented individuals with whom he surrounded himself enabled Della Porta to realise designs which ranged from large architectural ensembles such as the tomb of Pope Paul III in Saint Peter’s Cathedral to precious metalwork like the series of gilt bronze and silver reliefs of the Flagellation (e.g. Victoria and Albert Museum inv. no. A.1-1977), cornering the market for commissions large and small in Rome. Under Della Porta’s tutelage star sculptors such as Giambologna and Willem van Tetrode honed their design talents and technical abilities, but recent publications have highlighted that his liturgical objects had a more profound and lasting influence.

With the help of such specialists as the Dutch cabinet maker Jan van Santen, the Dutch bronze sculptor Jacob Cornelisz Cobaert, and goldsmiths Manno Sbarri and Antonio Gentili, Della Porta produced ensembles of highly finished metalwork, veneered and inlaid woodwork, and exotic precious stones. From about 1570 onwards in particular, Della Porta and his workshop were chiefly occupied with such religious work, as is evidenced by the Pius V’s commission for no less than twelve reliquaries in 1570 which were ultimately taken on by Gentili (Coppel, op.cit., p. 47). In 1571 Guglielmo sent a silver crucifix to Cardinal Farnese for which he was profusely thanked and praised in a letter by the clergyman on 18 December of that year. After Della Porta’s death Farnese ordered it to be mounted on a cross destined for the high altar at Saint Peter’s by Gentili which is kept in the Sacristy today. The perizonium of Della Porta’s silver corpus for Cardinal Farnese, with its swathe of drapery tucked behind the part that runs across the hips at the front, is identical to that of the present figure of Christ Crucified. The angle of the arms and position of the head, in turn, relate more closely to the grand corpus by Della Porta which was on the market in 2012 and is illustrated by Coppel (op.cit., p. 63).  The mourners on the base of the Altar cross, the Virgin, Mary Magdalen, and Saint John the Evangelist, were repeated in a similar manner by Della Porta’s foremost assistant, Jacob Cobaert, on the stupendous altar cross thought to have been the property of Pope Gregory XV and now in the Palazzo Venezia catalogued by Cannata (inv. no. 13475; 2004; op.cit., no. 170). Particularly the kneeling figure of Mary Magdalen compares well. The scalloped motifs and scrollwork on the cherub terminals of the Palazzo Venezia cross are also akin. Lastly, the stippled or hatched drapery bordered by a plain hem is typical of Cobaert’s figures; see also the saints and prophets on the Tabernacle in the San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome attributed to Cobaert by Montagu (op.cit., fig. 67). The style of the folds of the drapery of the figures on the base here, however, compares less well to the voluptuous Baroque folds of Cobaert.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Montagu, Gold, silver and bronze. Metal sculpture of the Roman Baroque, New Haven/ London, 1996, pp. 35-46; P. Cannata, Sculture in bronzo. Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia, Rome, 2011, pp. 142-154; R. Coppel, “Guglielmo della Porta in Rome” and “Catalogue”, R. Coppel, C. Avery, and M. Estella, Guglielmo della Porta. A Counter-Reformation sculptor, cat. Coll y Cortés, Madrid, 2012, pp. 28-111