ROMAN, CIRCA 1680-1720

The restless, twisting movement of the present figure is characteristic of the Roman Baroque following the rise of Gian Lorenzo Bernini over the course of the seventeenth century. The bishop, with his softly modelled face and rich embroidery on the borders of the pluvial, is highly comparable to a terracotta modello of a Standing Bishop attributed to Pierre Legros II (1666-1719) in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (43 cm. high, accession no. 63.168, Martinelli, loc. cit.). A terracotta modello of Pope Pius V in the Farsetti Collection, Italy, by Legros has similar qualities, particularly in the fine detailing of the vestments.
The scale, pose and quality of the present statuette suggests it also served as a modello for a larger ecclesiastical marble monument. A signature on the side of the figure reads 'A.o D.a F.a I'. Although unidentified to date, it is hoped that future scholarship will uncover the authorship of this statuette.