Lot 211: PIETRO CANONICA

ITALIAN 1869 - 1959 TESTA DI CRISTO (BUST OF CHRIST) signed: P.Canonica white marble, on a veined green and brown marble base bust: 33cm., 13in. base: 7cm., 2¾in.

Pietro Canonica was one of the most successful and distinctive Italian sculptors of his generation. His preeminent skills were put to use on monuments in Rome, St. Petersburg, Istanbul and Bagdad and his series of portraits of members of the British Royal family were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1904. Among his most successful works are his religious subjects. It is in these that Canonica’s characteristic sensitivity and sense of sorrow are most deeply felt. The carving of the present sculpture is delicate. Lacking hard lines, the bust suggests suppleness of structure beneath the skin. Christ’s raised shoulder, lowered eyelids and slightly open mouth are small indications of his suffering. The subtlety of the carving results in an impression of dignity and restraint. Canonica exhibited Testa di Cristoin Naples in 1922 and a version is held in the collection of the Galleria d’Arte, Moderna. During his distinguished career, he was elected Accademico d’Italia and a member of the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca; in 1950 he was made a senator for life for his outstanding artistic achievements. RELATED LITERATURE A. Panzetta, Nuovo dizionario degli scultori italiani dell'ottocento e del primo novecento, Turin, 2003, p. 197