Lot Essay
It is possible that this impressively modelled bust was intended as a work of art in its own right, or it may be a modello for another version in marble or bronze. Despite the very distinctive rendering of the hooded eyes and sensual lips, it has not been possible to make a firm attribution in the present case, although the expressive quality of the face and the delicate rhythms of the drapery indicate an origin in the Netherlands of the late 17th or early 18th century.