CIRCLE OF PIETRO PAOLO NALDINI (1605-1650), ROME, MID-17TH CENTURY

It has been suggested that the present head is a preliminary study for a figure in marble of St Paul by Pietro Paolo Naldini (1605-1650) located in the Basilica of San Martino, Rome. Naldini was originally a painter, but later turned to sculpture at the suggestion of his friend Carlo Maratti, and worked with Bernini, most famously on two of the angels for the Pont Sant'Angelo. The expressive and free handling of the present head gives credence to its standing as a modello, although Naldini's realised marble differs in its broad sweeps of hair. However, this may be accounted for by the practical difficulties of re-creating such delicate handling on a large-scale in marble.