FAUSTO BIGGI | ROMEO AND JULIET

Sale: Christie's, New York, December 13, 1983, lot 320, illustrated

Sale: Christie's. New York, April 16, 2015, lot 48, illustrated

Acquired at the above sale

"Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,

That I shall say goodnight till it be morrow."

-William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet's famous farewell at the balcony was a highly popular subject among Italian genre sculptors like Fausto Biggi, who worked during the late nineteenth century. A charming literary scene that appealed to an international clientele, it also provided ample opportunity for marble carvers to show off their skills, not only in the figures' intricate Renaissance dress, but in the technical challenge posed by the rope supporting Romeo.