
BUST OF A LITTLE BOY, after da Settignano, bronze, France (?), 2nd half of 19th century
Bust of a little boy.
France (?), 2nd half of the 19th century
after Desiderio da Settignano (ca. 1429-1464)
Bronze, marble base.
Dimensions: 29.5 x 14 x 17 cm.
State of preservation: good.
Description
A magnificent example of Italian Renaissance sculpture with an interesting history. The original was made in marble between 1455 and 1460 by the Florentine sculptor Desiderio da Settignano. Art historians have put forward various hypotheses; the portrayed person was identified as St. John. His masterly craftsmanship meant that many of his works were attributed to Donatello in the 19th century. The bust of a little boy was purchased in Italy in the 1840s by Eugene Piot. In the following decades, it passed into the hands of successive Parisian collectors, to end up in the USA in 1936. The following year, it joined the collections of the NGA in Washington.