Italian, Florence, late 15th century

the base inscribed:  IOANNES EST NOMEN EIUS and: DONATELLO. and numbered: 402

By repute Sir Richard Grenville (1541-91);
By repute Theobald Grenville;
Buck family's pew, St. Mary's parish church, Bideford, Devon;
Edward Ashworth, from 1862-64;
sold by latter's creditors in 1877;
Purchaser's family, sold Sotheby's London, 22-23 April 1912, lot 82 (as Donatello);
sold Sotheby's, London 12 December 2003, lot 138

Overall the condition of the bust is very good. There is dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is crackelature to the polychromy throughout, including a few slightly larger cracks. The polychromy has been partially refreshed, particularly to the flesh and in the hair. There is a hole in the top of the head and a smaller hole in the back of the head lower down on the proper right. There are a few very small lacunae between the figure and the base. There are a number of large losses to the paintwork of the base, particularly at the edges and corners. There is some splitting to the wood consistent with the material and a little evidence of past wood worm.
"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."

This fine bust would have been conceived together with a pendant bust of the Infant Christ. Dating to the late 15^th century, it reflects the advice of the Blessed Giovanni Dominici to Florentine parents, that they display representations of child saints in their homes, to provide their children with pious role models. The present bust is almost precisely the same in form as a glazed terracotta bust of St John in the Samuel H. Kress Collection at Coral Gables, Florida [inv. no. 61.009.000]; note in particular the slightly open mouth, the folds of the drapery and the arrangement of the hair, all of which are consistent with the present bust. The Kress terracotta, which has been associated with Andrea della Robbia, has a pendant Christ [inv. no. 61.008.000], who turns to his left to meet the gaze of his companion. Like the present bust, the Kress examples are cast separately from their bases. Anthony Radcliffe has suggested that the type originated in the workshop of Andrea della Robbia. However he suggests that another variant, exemplified by a bust of the Infant Christ in the Wallace Collection [inv. no. S54], in which the base is integrally cast and the details differ, was made by a different workshop, bearing testament to the popularity of busts of child saints in late fifteenth- and early-sixteenth-century Florence. Similar busts can also be found in marble, note the Infant Christ by Desiderio da Settignano in the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. [inv. no. 1943.4.94]. In the Renaissance palazzo, busts of this type would have been displayed prominently, high up on walls, underscoring their high status and their function as behavioral models for the family.

The present lot is offered with a thermoluminescence analysis report from Oxford Authentication dated 15^th October 2003 stating that the sample (No: N103u32) was last fired between 350 and 550 years ago, i.e. between 1453 and 1653.

RELATED LITERATURE
P. Motture and L. Syson, 'Art in the Casa' in M. Ajmar-Wollheim and F. Dennis (eds.), At Home in Renaissance Italy, ex. cat. V&A, London, 2006, pp. 275, 278; A.Radcliffe, M.Baker and M.Maek-Gerard, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Renaissance and later Sculpture, 1992, pp.58-61; Arnold V. Coonin, 'Portrait busts of children in Quattrocento Florence', Metropolitan Museum Journal, XXX, 1995, pp. 61-71; J.G.Mann, Wallace Collection Catalogue, Sculpture, 1931, cat. no.S54, p.20; Ulrich Middeldorf, Sculptures from the Samuel H. Kress collection, London, 1976, p. 39, nos. K181-182, figs. 71-72