Alvise Tagliapietra (1670-1747) and Carlo Tagliapietra (active mid-18th century) Italian, Venice, circa 1730

with an old paper label inscribed: A130 and inscribed in white paint to the reverse: 15

Sotheby's London, 11 December 1980, lot 220
on loan to Museum Schnütgen, Cologne, September 2009 to December 2012

The top section of the relief has been lost, leaving a jagged edge, and the head of one figure is lost. The head of the top figure may be reattached, as may be part of the old woman's walking stick. The Christ Child has lost his proper right hand. There are a few stable firing cracks and some spots of glue residue. There are chips to the edges, in particular to the lower right corner. Otherwise the condition is good.
"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 lively terracotta is the bozzetto for a large marble relief carved by Alvise Tagliapietra and his son Carlo for the Dominican church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice. Tagliapietra was one of a small group of celebrated Venetian sculptors who produced reliefs for the church's Rosary Chapel in the 1730's. His scenes of the Presentation before the Temple and the Visitation are still in situ and flank the altar. Prior to carving these compositions in marble, Tagliapietra would have modelled them in terracotta, giving him the opportunity to perfect his designs. The bozzetto for the relief with the Visitation can be found in the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk VA (inv. no. 78.634B). This compares closely with the present relief, particularly in the freshness of the modelling. Note, for example, the similarity between the old women in both scenes. It is also interesting to observe subtle differences between the present relief and the final marble. The priest's head is raised higher in the bozetto, for example, presenting a clearer view of his joyful facial expression. The overall sense of the joy of the occasion is conveyed particularly successfully in the present sketch, whilst it is less apparent in the final marble.

RELATED LITERATURE
C. Semenzato, La scultura Veneta del seicento e del settecento, Venice, 1966, p. 62, fig. 201; A. Ress (ed.), Giovanni Maria Morlaiter. Ein venezianischer Bildhauer des 18. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1979, fig. 153