Circle of Angelo Marini

The restrained classicism of this idealized antique portrait locates it in the milieu of Lombardy in the second half of the 16^th century. The subject can be discerned from a comparison with the portrait of Antonia Minor in the Castello di Pantelleria, although the elaborate form of her plaited hair is not typical of the Julio-Claudian period. Antonia Minor (36 BC – 37 AD) was the second daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. She was the niece of the Emperor Augustus and sister-in-law of Tiberius. Stylistically, the bust recalls the work of Angelo Marini or Cristoforo Solari. The crisp, methodical carving of the hair show affinities with the impressive group of St Mary Magdalen supported by angels in Milan Cathedral. A similar approach can be observed in Solari’s figure of St Catherine of Alexandria on the façade of the same cathedral.

The present lot is the subject of an expertise by Dott. Eike Schmidt, dated July 2015.

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