Giuseppe Maria Mazza (1653-1741) Italian, Bologna, late 17th/ early 18th century

Bologna, Scultura Bolognese del Settecento, 1965-1966, nos. 42-43

E. Riccomini, Scultura Bolognese del Settecento, Bologna, 1966, p. 67-68, nos. 42-43 

Overall the condition of the terracottas is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. St. Luke: There may have been a now lost attribute above St Luke's proper right hand. There are some small chips to the cow's proper left ear. The front right corner of the base is reattached. Parts of the quill are lost and there may be restoration to the feather. There may be restorations to the proper right fingers and the proper right little finger appears to be reattached. There is a slip to the surface which has worn in areas; the slip could potentially conceal condition issues not visible. There is a small loss to the proper right big toe. St John: The proper left arm with scroll is reattached and there are restorations. There is a slip to the surface which has chipped and worn in areas; it could possibly conceal condition issues not visible to the naked eye. There is evidence of an earlier slip on the bird, which has presumably been removed. The top of the eagle's proper right wing appears to be restored. The proper right hand may be reattached since there is a slightly visible fracture line running through the wrist. There are a few small chips including one to the drapery in front of the proper left leg and some to the drapery at the back. A few small holes at the back. A few very minor chips in the hair. There are some possible reattached sections and restorations to the chin and neck, where there are stable fissures. A small loss to the back right corner of the base above which the letter 'N' is inscribed in pencil.
"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."

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.

This impressive pair of terracottas depicting two of the Evangelists were described as early works by Mazza when they were catalogued by Riccomini for the exhibition of 18th-century Bolognese sculpture at the Museo Civico in Bologna in 1965-1966. Mazza was responsible for two sets of figures of the Evangelists: in the four niches of the drum of the dome of the chapel of the Madonna del Fuoco in Forli cathedral under Carlo Cignani's celebrated fresco (circa 1706); and his monumental stucco Evangelists between columns in the church of San Domenico, Modena (circa 1733). Riccomini compares St Mark in particular with Mazza's San Bartolomeo from the Manzoli chapel, as well as the sculptor's San Benedetto dei Celestini (op. cit.). The present figures display a beautiful degree of fluidity in the drapery and in their graceful, expressive, movements. Compare also with the stucco relief formerly in Corpus Domini, Bologna, destroyed (published by Fleming, op. cit., p. 208, fig. 2)

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Fleming, 'Giuseppe Mazza', The Connoisseur, November, 1961, pp. 207-215; J. Montagu, Alessandro Algardi, New Haven and Yale, 1985, vol. ii, fig. 137