Antik Dragon Japanese & Other Fine Art has dated this piece to the 18th Century.
Good condition.
This fine bust relates closely to two marble busts of ‘A Little Boy’ by Desiderio da Settignano in the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC, USA); one from the Samuel H. Kress Collection (inv. no. 1943.4.94), and the other from the Andrew W. Mellon Collection (inv. no. 1937.1.113), which are sometimes thought to represent the Infant Christ. A similar bust by Desiderio da Settignano was acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum (LA, USA) in 2018, while there is another in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna).
Further comparable busts of the Infant Christ and Saint John were sculpted by Desiderio's contemporaries, Antonio Rossellino and Mino da Fiesole (see Paolozzi Strozzi, op. cit., pp. 125-126). The sculptor of this bust was undoubtedly familiar with the work of these Florentine masters.
Antik Dragon Japanese & Other Fine Art has dated this piece to the 18th Century.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Antik Dragon Japanese & Other Fine Art Profile Page
Rare Italian Antique (Ca. 18thc) Marble Boy’s Bust, Follower of Desiderio Da Settignano
