ANTONIO GIOVANNI LANZIROTTI | Girl with a Puppy

Overall the condition of the marble is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is a well-concealed reattachment to the girl's proper left index finger. There is some very slight veining to the marble, consistent with the material.
"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."

Lanzirotti studied in Palermo and then in Paris, under the tutelage of Joseph Michel Ange Pollet. He is also believed to have been a pupil of Valerio Villareale, Bertel Thorvaldsen and Pietro Tenerani in Rome (Vicario, op. cit., p. 598). His first major work, The Education of Bacchus, was exhibited at the 1855 Exposition Universelle at Paris. In 1860 Lanzirotti joined Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand, and was imprisoned at Gaeta for two months, before returning to Paris, where he kept a studio. In 1863 he was appointed portrait sculptor to King Victor Emmanuel II, and was commissioned to make sculptures of the Conte Verde and Duke Vittorio Amedeo I, for the Palazzo Reale in Torino. He was admitted to numerous Academies, and was awarded the Cross of Knights of Saints Maurizio and Lazzaro, admitted to the Order of the Crown of Italy, and awarded the Order of Isabel the Catholic.  The present playful group has appeared on the market in bronze, but the marble version is rarer. It is sometimes accompanied by its pendant titled Boy with a Parakeet (for example, sale in these rooms, 16 November 2016, lot 2). 

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Panzetta, Nuovo Dizionario degli Scultori Italiani dell'Ottocento e del Primo Novocento, vol. 1, Turin, 2003, p. 513; V. Vicario, Gli Scultori Italiani dal Neoclassicismo al Liberty, vol. 2, Lodi, 1994, p. 598-99