ANTONIO FRILLI | ROMEO AND JULIET

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

That I shall say good night till it be morrow."

Romeo and Juliet's famous farewell at the balcony proved highly popular among Italian genre sculptors. A charming literary subject 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. Frilli's version of the subject is similar to those of his fellow Florentine sculptors Pasquale Romanelli and Ferdinando Vichi (cf. Sotheby's London, 11 December 2019, lot 42).