Lot 97
  • 97

Attributed to Giuseppe Maria Mazza (1653-1741) Italian, Bologna, circa 1700

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Bust of St Dominic
  • terracotta
  • Attributed to Giuseppe Maria Mazza (1653-1741) Italian, Bologna, circa 1700

Condition

The overall condition is very good, with some very minor possible losses to the front bottom edge. There are some small losses to the edges in particular to the hood, at the front. There are some small restorations to some of the edges in particular to the the edges of the hood. There are stable original firing cracks including to the back and lower neck. There is a small hole in the lower neck. There are small lacunae including where the clay has been modeled at the sides. There is a small loss to the bottom at the proper right side, at the back. There is a dark patch to the abdomen at the proper left side. This possibly indicates restoration. There are fewer locks of hair under the chin but this is probably not due to losses. The surface is covered in a slip which could potentially conceal condition issues, although this appears to be unlikely. There are a few small pits to the surface. There is a chip to below the proper right eyebrow.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Few busts possess the quiet solemnity and presence seen in this moving portrait of St Dominic. The sensitivity of the modelling and the elegant folds of drapery support an attribution to the leading early 18th-century Bolognese sculptor Giuseppe Maria Mazza. Compare the hood with the veil worn by the Virgin in the published Madonna and Child group by Mazza sold in these rooms on 3 December 2014, lot 93. Also note the similarly incised eyes. The identity of the bust as St Dominic is affirmed by the presence of a star to his forehead, which references a story from the saint's infancy when his grandmother saw a star on his forehead during his baptism. The subject of the bust strengthens the attribution to Mazza, since St Dominic's tomb is famously situated in Bologna.

Giuseppe Maria Mazza initially trained as a painter under Domenico Maria Canuti and Giovanni Gioseffo del Sole. He appears to have made the transition to sculpture under the latter's tutelage, and, in circa 1670, moved to Venice for a year where he burnished his reputation as a stucco worker. The arrival of John Adam Andreas, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Bologna in 1692 marked an important turning point in the sculptor's career as he was asked to complete a number of over life-size marble busts, which remain in the Princely Collections, Vaduz. Mazza established his reputation as the foremost Bolognese sculptor of his generation with his now destroyed Madonna of the Mystery of the Rosary for Bologna's church of Corpus Domini (1693). His greatest works are the series of bronze reliefs illustrating the life of the Bolognese St Dominic for the church of SS Giovanni e Paolo, Venice (circa 1717-1720), which exhibit the sculptor's characteristic classicising, tempered, late Baroque style.