Workshop of Giovanni Antonio Mazzuoli | Atelier de Giovanni Antonio Mazzuoli

Despite its small size, this delicate figure of Saint Sebastian retains impressive detail in its craftsmanship, particularly in the rope ties around the wrists and the column trunk. The rendering of the torso is also notable in its defined muscular modulation tempered by a narrow chest and sloping shoulders.

These distinctive elements are characteristic of statues made in the workshop of the Sienese sculptor Giuseppe Mazzuoli (1644-1725). In 1680 Mazzuoli began creating sculpture for the main nave of Siena Cathedral (Butzek, op. cit, pp. 75-102). Of these figures, now at Brompton Oratory in London, the Saint Bartholemew, completed in 1686, most closely resembles the present work. These characteristics are even more pronounced in the figure of the Risen Christ in gilt marble, sculpted in 1692 by Giovanni Antonio Mazzuoli for the main altar in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Grosseto. This sculpture features the same anatomical structure as the present Saint Sebastian, with a slender yet muscular torso, dynamic and rigid posture, and distinct, knotted details on the legs.

The most direct comparison, however, is with the monumental stucco Saint Sebastian in the main altar in the Church of the Nativity of Mary in Castel del Piano. As in the Risen Christ, the same anatomical and postural characteristics are visible, in this case even more like the present work due to the posture of the upper limbs. It may be the case that the present sculpture derives precisely from the statue in Castel del Piano, following a practice typical of the Mazzuoli workshop. It was common for them to use a process of mechanical derivation, creating small marble sculptures from a terracotta or plaster model used to produce monumental statues. These smaller sculptures were intended to supply the homes of the Sienese aristocracy, who were dedicated to collecting sketches, models, and small sculptures from the renowned workshop (Sisi, op. cit., pp. 338-342).

RELATED LITERATURE

M. Butzek, 'Die Modellsammlung der Mazzuoli in Siena', in Pantheon, vol. 46, 1988, pp. 75-102; C. Sisi and G. Gentilini (eds.), Collezione Chigi Saracini: La scultura, Siena, 1989

The present lot is the subject of an expertise by David Lucidi, which is available upon request.