North Italian, 14th century

by repute the church of Santa Maria Fuorcivita, Pistoia;
with Augustus Frank, Paris or Rome;
Dr. Christian R. Holmes, New York, before 1920;
and thence by descent to his wife;
her sale, Parke Bernet Galleries, Inc. New York, 18 April 1942, lot 726;
Mrs Charles Page Perin, New York;
her sale, Parke Bernet Galleries, Inc. New York, 6-7 June 1945, lot 166;
with Joseph Brummer, New York, by 1945 (inv. nos. N6308 and N6309);
his sale, Parke Bernet Galleries, Inc. New York, 20-23 April 1949, lot 744;
private collection, Switzerland

Given the age of the sculptures, their condition is broadly good overall. There is dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few notable losses: the top of St Paul's sword and the right corners of each terrasse. There are some minor chips and abrasions to the edges of the terrasses. The right side of the hilt of the sword is lost, and there are some chips to the left side. There is a loss to St Paul's proper left thumb. There is a small chip to St Peter's nose. There are a number of small chips and abrasions to the drapery of the figures, including to the back, and to their attributes, particularly at the edges, and to the bottom of St Peter's key. There are some more noticeable chips to St Peter's proper left sleeve. A large section of the back of St Paul at the bottom and a small section at the front of the terrasse in front of the feet are restored. It is possible that there may be some minor surface restorations to the feet of both figures. There is some veining or possible restoration to St Peter's proper right knee, and there are some much more minor surface restorations to each terrasse. There are various dirt marks, and there are some residues to the drapery above St Paul's feet.
"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."

These extraordinary figures of St Peter and St Paul can be associated with a line of Lombard sculptors active throughout Northern Italy in the 13th and 14th centuries known as the 'maestri Campionesi' or Campione masters. They are so-called because they are believed to originate from the Campione region, encompassing the Lombard lakes and Lugano, but worked as far afield as Modena and Verona. Works by the Campione masters, particularly earlier in the 14th century, are characterised by an adherence to Romanesque styles, increasingly infused by the Tuscan innovations of the Pisani and Arnolfo di Cambio. Their sculptures are uniquely expressive and, according to Anita Moskowitz, 'in many works, a directness of expression is combined with a narrative richness of popolaresco appeal' (Moskowitz, op. cit., p. 200).

The compact form of the present figures, together with the bulging, quasi-Romanesque eyes, large hands and prominent attributes, accord with sculptures associated with the Campione masters dating from the first half of the 14th century. Compare, for example with the figure of St Paul from the Loggia degli Osii in Milan, which dates to circa 1315-1330 (now in a private collection, see Baroni, op. cit., fig. 40; Moskowitz, op. cit., p. 202, fig. 260). The bulging eyes, with drilled pupils, and the pose, with slightly hunched shoulders, gripping the keys and drapery, strongly recall both of the present figures. The perseverance of Romanesque characteristics in sculpture by the Campione masters would explain the presence of seemingly earlier stylistic elements in the two figures, such as the drilled eyes, and the bunched folds of drapery beneath St Peter's right leg.

The softened, classicising, drapery, including swallow tail folds, might indicate a dating for the present sculptures towards the middle of the 14th century. Compare, in particular, to the reliefs from the tomb of Bernabò Visconti, now in the Castello Sforzesco, Milan, which are attributed to Bonino da Campione (Vergani, op. cit.). Note the same striated hair and beard styles, and the similarly heavy drapery with thick sleeves with multiple pleats, lightly influenced by contemporary Gothic sculpture from Southern Italy and France.

The present figures have particularly expressive faces, with almost haunting gazes. The carving of the softened pleats of drapery is particularly successfully executed, whilst the smooth, polished, surfaces, make an attractive contrast with the neatly finished textured reverses and the striations of the hair and beards.

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Baroni, Scultura Gotica Lombarda, Milan, 1944, pp. 31-61, fig. 40; R. Bossaglia and G. Dell'Acqua, I maestri Campionesi, Milan, 1992; A. Moskowitz, Italian Gothic Sculpture c. 1250-1400, Cambridge, 1999, pp. 199-235; G. A. Vergani, L'arca di Bernabò Visconti al Castello Sforzesco di Milano, Milan, 2002