Lot 430: CIRCLE OF GIUSEPPE MAZZUOLI

KNEELING VIRGIN

height 21 1/4 in.; 54 cm

terracotta

<P>early 18th century</P>

Washington, New York, Cambridge 1979-1982, no. 24 (illus.); New York, 1981, no. 14

Heim Gallery, London

RELATED LITERATURE

Gentilini and Sisi 1989, cat. nos. 75, 78

Though it compares well with several of the bozzeti by Mazzuoli and his workshop in the Chigi Saracini Collection in Siena (see Chigi, op. cit., cat. nos. 75, 78), the present figure, with its canted base and careful detail, was likely intended as a component of a finished group. The Virgin's pose suggests that she is either in adoration of the Christ Child or reacting to the Annuncation from the angel Gabriel. The drapery, pose and facial type find their ultimate inspiration in the work of Bernini.