Pasquale Romanelli Italian, 1812 - 1887

The sculpture is in overall good condition with a nicely crafted two tone surface, one for the skin and the other for the fabric and wheat shafts. There is visible restoration and in painting to the tip of nose as well as to the rear of her proper left hand side braid. Overall there are the usual minor scratches and nicks consistent with age and use. There is a noticeable scratch to the back of her proper right hand foot about a half inch wide and a quarter of inch in height. Two other noticeable scratched appear on the drapery, located at the back of the figure with traces of red color, possibly from a rigging strap. Some visible circular fillers in places on the back of the figure and visible chips around bottom circular edge of the sculpture. The sculpture should be cleaned to eliminate the color stains, either dye from rigging straps or human handling. The pedestal has scratches to top surface consistent with placing sculpture on top and chips to the base of the sculpture
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Florentine sculptor Pasquale Romanelli achieved an international reputation for his finely carved mythological and biblical marble figures with Ruth among his most celebrated, a fitting choice of inspiration as among Old Testament heroines, Ruth is perhaps the most romanticised. The eponymous character of the Book of Ruth is a Moabitess married to an Israeli husband, whose family has relocated to Moab. Following the deaths of most family members including Ruth’s husband, the widowed young woman bravely decides to depart for Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, despite being a foreigner: “where you go, I will go.” In Bethlehem, she becomes a hard-working gleaner on a field belonging to Boaz, a distant relative. Boaz so admires Ruth’s sense of duty towards her family that he asks for her hand in marriage, and they have a family of their own.

Ruth was a popular subject among 19th-century sculptors active in Italy, notably Giovanni Battista Lombardi and the American Randolph Rogers, whose famous depiction of the gleaning heroine is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 99.7.1). Romanelli’s model precedes those by Lombardi and Rogers, having been exhibited in Paris in 1851. It is this Ruth who arguably best conveys the character’s piety and modesty. Ruth is believably caught in the act of her physically demanding work. Her romantic relationship with Boaz is hinted at through the longing upwards gaze. The present marble exhibits Romanelli’s attention to detail in the highly realistic carving of the wheat and the beautifully modelled hair and headdress.

Another example of Ruth was sold in these rooms, November 3, 2015, lot 73.