Lot 457: AFTER A MODEL BY ALESSANDRO ALGARDI

CORPUS
olive-brown patina beneath golden translucent varnish

height of corpus 29 1/8 in., 74 cm; height overall 79 1/2 in., 179 cm

bronze on later wood cross

circa 1700

Heim Summer 1980, no. 35

Montagu 1985, p. 337, cat. no. 16.D.19

Ridolfi Collection, Florence; Heim Gallery, London

The present corpus is an exceptional early version of the the crucifix Algardi designed for Pope Innocent X, which was perhaps the most popular baroque crucifix model and the most repeated of Algardi's works. The quality of the cast and chasing suggest a Florentine origin around 1700. The titulus above and skull and bones below are not part of Algardi's design but appear to be contemporary with the corpus.