Lot 359: Circle of Francesco Laurana (circa 1420-before 1502) A 15th century Neapolitan carved marble group of the Virgin and Child

the Christ Child supported on the Virgin's left knee and holding an orb, both heads repaired, 75cm high

Stylistically this piece has many comparables with the work of Francesco Laurana and was probably carved by a follower of this important sculptor. The facial features of the present group with the heavily lidded eyes, well proportioned oval face and idealised features, as well as the high hairline are features of Laurana's work which can be seen in his marble busts including that of Battista Sforza (c. 1474) and his portrait of a woman, (c. 1472-4).
Laurana was first recorded in Naples in 1453 when he was working on the triumphal arch of Alfonso I at the Castelnuovo, but was also known to have worked in France and Sicily.

Related Literature: J. Pope-Hennessy, Italian Renaissance Sculpture, London 1958. Roberta Olson Italian Renaissance Sculpture, Thames and Hudson, London, 1992.

Provenance:
According to documents found with the sculpture, this group was purchased by Sir Alfred Egerton from an antique dealer in Messina, Sicily in 1912. The group was shipped to England in 1913 but both heads were by then detached. These were apparently restored by the sculptress Countess Feodora von Gleichen (1861-1922) at her studio in Malborough House, London. A bronze by the Countess was sold in these rooms on 9th June 2007, lot 29.