Domenico (1425) Gagini Sold at Auction Prices

Sicilian school, sixteenth century. Continuation of the workshop of DOMENICO GAGINI (Bissone, ca. 1420- Palermo, 1492). "Madonna of Trapani". Polychrome alabaster.

Sicilian school, sixteenth century. Continuation of the workshop of DOMENICO GAGINI (Bissone, ca. 1420- Palermo, 1492). "Madonna of Trapani". Polychrome alabaster. Measurements: 65,5 x 21 x 16,5 cm. Trapani, on the island of Sicily, was an important artistic center in the manufacture of devotional figures in alabaster. One of the sculptors who contributed the most to the establishment and diffusion of the Madonnas of Trapani was Domenico Gagini, whose models this important sculpture we are showing follows. In this piece, worked in round form, the Child Jesus contemplates his mother with singular rapture. The mantle and the Marian tunic are undulated in curved folds that give a naturalistic fall to the drapery. The play of drapery also energizes the figure of the infant, one of whose small feet peeks out from under the garment. This alabaster carving is inspired by the life-size marble statue, popularly known as the "Madonna of Trapani", kept in the Sanctuary-Basilica of Maria Santissima Annunziata, in Trapani, Sicily. It has traditionally been attributed to Nino Pisano. Domenico Gagini was an Italian sculptor who represents the transition from International Gothic to Humanism. The Gagini were a family of sculptors, painters and architects working towards the end of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Domenico Gagini was the first sculptor of the family to achieve international fame. There is no documentation of his training but Vasari reports that he was a disciple of Brunelleschi in Florence. During this period he had the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of Donatello (1386-1466), and above all, that of Lorenzo Ghiberti whose style was closer to his artistic interests. He returned to Genoa in 1447, where he worked on the sculptures of the Duomo (dome) of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. In 1459 he arrived in Palermo, Sicily, where he opened his own workshop, which would later be run by his relatives Antonello and Antonio. In that city he received the title of "Mastru Duminicu marmuraru". One of Domenico Gagini's most notable works is the decoration of the choir in the Cathedral of Palermo, with figures of great realism. Between 1463 and 1480 he realized the Monument of Antonio Speciale in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Chapel of Santa Cristina in the Cathedral of Palermo.

Attributed to the workshops of Domenico Gagini (active c. 1449 - 1492) Italian, Sicily, circa 1460