Raffaello Romanelli

Sotheby's New York, 24 October 2012, lot 63

A. Panzetta, Nuovo dizionario degli scultori italiani, Turin, 2003,  vol. II, 2003, p. 816, no. 1607

Overall the condition of the marble is good with minor dirt and wear consistent with age. There is a restored break at the top of the proper right arm and another at the proper right wrist; there is some craquelure to the restorations. There is apparent surface restoration to the proper right shoulder and chest. The surface has been extensively cleaned. The proper right index finger; the proper left thumb; and the left end of the fictive wood support are reattached. There is some possible further restoration to the fingers. There is a restored break to the wood support next to the proper left hand. There is an original joint to the wood support at the proper right side of the head. There is restoration to the surface at the proper left hip and in the reeds at the back at the left and to the spine. There is minor veining to the marble consistent with the material. There are naturally occurring inclusions some of which have been filled including to the proper left hip and back. The metal buckets and chains are in good condition with some minor moisture staining. A few minor chips and abrasions to the sides and edges of the veined green marble column.
"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."

Raffaello Romanelli was from the second generation of a dynasty of Florentine sculptors active from the 1820s onward. The son of Pasquale Romanelli, he is considered one of the foremost Italian monumental sculptors of his generation. He studied under his father (a pupil of Lorenzo Bartolini) and August Rivalta at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, moving to Rome briefly in 1880. During the 1890s he was commissioned for numerous funerary and public monuments in Florence, including those to Donatello (Chiesa Medicea di San Lorenzo) and Cellini on the Ponte Vecchio. International fame was secured by high profile commissions such as the Demidoff monument in Kiev and the General Martin monument in Caracas, as well as through his successive showings at the international exhibitions of the period. By the first decade of the twentieth century Raffaello had achieved a reputation in both the United States and Europe, and had garnered effusive praise in the international press, with the The Anglo-American Gazette calling him "Italy's greatest living sculptor," in 1908 and the San Francisco Examiner contending that he was "to Italy what Rodin is to France" in 1915. He was eventually appointed Professor of the Accademia where he promoted his naturalistic style and was followed by his son Romano, who had an equally successful career as a sculptor. The imposing presence and effortless elegance of the present marble's creative subject and posture are accentuated through Romanelli's thorough understanding of sculptural naturalism.