Lot 64: - Attributed to Michele Fabris, known as l'Ongaro (c. 1644-1684) Italian, Venice, 17th century , Bust of a Bearded Man white marble, on a mottled light brown marble socle

white marble, on a mottled light brown marble socle

measurements note overall: 51cm., 20in.

The bust of an old man with a long beard shows the differentiation between a smoothly polished skin and drapery, and a more rough rendering of the hair and beard, with the parallel lines of the coarse tooth chisel still visible. This was a typical feature of Venetian sculpture of the second half of the 17th century. The decoration of the drapery with many holes and curves is particularly characteristic of the Hungarian-born Michele Fabris, one of the foremost sculptors in Venice of his time. The cloak pulled over the man's head is particularly similar to the one worn by the skeleton personifying death in the relief showing The cross supported by angels in glory over death on the left wall of the Vendramin chapel in San Pietro di Castello, Venice. A Bust of Diana attributed to Fabris was sold in these rooms on 8 June 1999, lot 17.

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Nacamulli, "Michael Fabris Ongaro," Arte veneta, 39, 1985, pp. 87-100; A. Bacchi and S. Zanuso, La scultura veneziana da Sansovino a Canova, Milano, 2000, pp. 731-732, figs. 357-365