ITALIAN, LATE 17TH OR EARLY 18TH CENTURY

Details

A CARVED IVORY, WOOD AND MARBLE GROUP OF THE CRUCIFIXION
Italian, late 17th or early 18th century
The figures of Christ, the Virgin and St. John carved in ivory; with an ebonised wood cross with ivory titulus inscribed 'I.N.R.I'; set on a rectangular multi-coloured panelled marble base with brass bead borders and in a later glazed wood display cabinet with arched top and hinged door.
Minor cracking to the ivory; damage to the feet of St. John; losses to glass on display cabinet; other minor damages.
43½ in. (110.5 cm.) high, the group

Provenance

The Ursuline Convent, Black Rock, Cork.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

The figures from this Crucifixion group are derived from the Roman tradition of carving which existed in the 17th century, and one can see elements of different strains of that tradition exhibited here. The figure of the Virgin is closely related to the celebrated marble of St. Suzanna, executed by François Duquesnoy between 1626 and 1633 (illustrated in Fransolet, loc. cit). The Suzanna is a fairly restrained, classicising figure and, although the ivory figure of the Virgin has been given a certain added sense of drama through the inclusion of the clutched hands and the dramatically gathered folds of drapery, it still retains an element of restraint. In contrast, the figure of Christ follows more in the tradition of Bernini and his circle, with his expressive face and the dramatically swirling perizonium.

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