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19
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Madonna and Child, carved in marble in the round.
See original version (French)
19
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Madonna and Child, carved in marble in the round.
See original version (French)
Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Madonna and Child, carved in marble in the round. Standing, the Virgin holds the Child, who is blessing, on her right arm; she is dressed in a belted gown and a cloak, one end of which falls across the front; her hair is drawn up and covered by a veil, a corner of which Jesus holds in his left hand; the youthful face of Mary, with its delicate, regular features and pointed chin
Liguria, Genoa, workshop of Tommaso Orsolino (1587–1675), last third of the 17th century
Dimensions: H_111 cm W_30 cm D_26 cm
(minor damage and losses)
The ‘Madonnas and Child’ sculptures in white marble preserved in churches in the south of France bear witness to a thriving trade in the 17th century between Genoa and regions such as Provence and Languedoc. Genoese workshops, such as those of Tommaso Orsolino and Leonardo Mirano, produced these sculptures in series based on similar designs, intended for sale both locally and abroad. French patrons, notably religious brotherhoods and orders, purchased these statues of the Virgin directly from Genoa. The statues were then transported by ship to the ports of the south of France. The example of the Virgin Mary kept at the Saint-Jacques retirement home in Frontignan (Hérault), which is very similar to this one, is particularly telling (fig.): the archives of the Confraternity of the Rosary indicate that it was commissioned in Genoa in 1689 and transported by sea to Languedoc.
Source consulted:
D. Nepipvoda, ‘From the Genoese Madonnas to the Languedoc Virgins: a little-known collection of marble sculptures’ in *Patrimoines du Sud*, 7 | 2018.
Expert: Laurence Fligny - Expert: Laurence FLIGNY
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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