SPAIN, PROBABLY SARAGOSSA, CIRCA 1510-1540

This carved portrait head was formerly attributed to the Italian sculptor Tullio Lombardo but the type of alabaster used, as well as the less classical facial features suggest one should look further afield to Spain for its origin. The warmer colour of the alabaster and the inclusion of visible veining were not used by the Lombardi, but can be seen in such high quality works as the effigies of Don Garcia de Osorio and Dona Maria de Perea in the Victoria and Albert Museum (see Trusted, op. cit., nos. 3 and 4). As pointed out by Trusted, alabaster was used extensively in Spain, especially in the northeast where it could be quarried locally (ibid, p. 11).

The somewhat mannered tilt of the head and the stylised sweep of the drapery seem to reflect a remnant of the late medieval period. However the inclusion of the laurel wreath – a classical motif – and the distinctive jewel on the shoulder are clear indications that this is the work of someone already influenced by renaissance ideals. Among sculptors working in this style, the work of Damian Forment (1480-1540) shows many similarities to the present head. His work at the cathedral of Huesca, executed in the early 1520s, is perhaps closest; his reliefs of Christ Crowned by Thorns and Christ before Pilate on the high altar both include faces with the same narrow nose, high cheekbones, tilted heads and sweeping drapery as can be seen in the lot offered here (see Weise, op. cit., pls. 36 and 37).