Attributed to Giovanni Baratta (1640-1747) Italian, Florence, first half 18th century

Overall the condition of the marble is good, with dirt and some wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a light layer of dirt to the surface throughout, giving it an attractive patina. There are a few chips and abrasions, including to the eagle's beak, to the corner of the book by the eagle, and to the outer edge of the relief. There are also a few very light abrasions to the saint's hair, the background at the top on the right side, and to the eagle's head above the eye. The wood frame is in good condition with some wear. A lacquer has been applied to the surface of the wood. There are several chips to the edges and corners, and there is a loss to the curtain end decoration at the top, and another to the bottom tip of the shell at the bottom. There is some stable splitting to the wood consistent with the material, including slightly open splits around the marble. There is evidence of past worming in several areas. There is a metal hook at the back.
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Giovanni Baratta was a distinguished sculptor of the Florentine late Baroque who successfully cultivated patrons from the leading courts of Europe. Born in Carrara, Baratta began his career in Florence as a pupil of Giovanni Battista Foggini and Massimiliano Soldani Benzi, but it was in Rome, under the supervision of Camillo Rusconi and Domenico Guidi, that he developed his style. After returning to Florence in 1696, he received commissions to carve sculptures for a variety of churches, and at the beginning of the 18th century he enjoyed the patronage of important international clients, including Grand Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici and Frederick IV, King of Denmark.

This beautiful oval relief of St John and the Eagle has convincingly been attributed to Baratta. The Apostle’s tenderly carved, youthful features and delicate strands of hair compare well to many of the sculptor’s idealised heads, such as that of the Angel in his marble relief of Tobias and the Archangel Raphael in the church of Santo Spirito of 1698 – Baratta’s first major commission. The figure of Cephalus in a stucco relief by Baratta in the Villa di Bellavista near Pistoia mirrors the Saint John’s large, half-closed eyes with heavy lids and elegant wave of hair around the ear. This is also seen in one of the candle-bearing Angels flanking the altar in the Church of Santa Verdiana at Castelfiorentino. It is however arguably in the stucco Nereids which Baratta modelled for a room in the Palazzo Marucelli Fenzi around 1705 that the Greek profile and graceful features of the Saint John find their closest comparison.

The tender interaction between the Saint and Eagle, who supports John’s book and drapery while seeming to answer the saint's affectionate expression, is characteristic of Baratta and Florentine late baroque sculpture. Given the relatively small scale of the relief, it is likely that it was commissioned for a private space such as a palazzo, perhaps as part of a series.

RELATED LITERATURE
G. Pratesi, Repertorio della Scultura fiorentina del Seicento e Settecento, Turin, 1993, vol. 1, pp. 36-37 and vol. 2, nos. 14-21; S. Bellesi and M. Visonà, Giovacchino Fortini: Scultura architettura decorazione e committenza a Firenze al tempo degli ultimi Medici, Florence, 2008, vo. 1, p. 105

An expertise by Dott. Riccardo Spinelli is available upon request.