Bust of a Roman Goddess

Late 16th Century - early 17th century
Italy – Rome
White Marble / Alabastrian Marble
Art Loss Register Certificate: S00240942

H 85 x W 63 x D 28 cm
(33 ½ x 24 ¾ x 11 in.)

This Roman-inspired bust displays stylistic features characteristic of the Mannerist period. The tightly closed lips and distant gaze convey neither coldness nor detachment, but rather an inward-looking expression of tenderness—almost pathetic in its emotional depth—worthy of a sensitive and talented artist.

The work is sculpted from a single block of marble. The front surface has been polished, giving it a smooth, soap-like yet opaque appearance. The sculptor has rendered the face, tunic, and elements of the cuirass—including the spallacci, typical of ceremonial armor. The eyes, curly locks of hair, and geometric motifs of the shoulder guard and high belt are incised and highlighted with graphite (fig. 3). The use of graphite in marble sculpture is not unusual.

Italian sculptors of the Renaissance employed this technique to intensify the gaze in marble portrait busts (e.g., Anonymous, Bust of Giovanni Angelo Frumenti, ca. 1620, Rome, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; or Bernini’s second version of the Bust of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, 1632, Rome, Galleria Borghese).

This bust is believed to date from the last quarter of the 16th century. It aligns with the practices of trade, restoration, and forgery of antique statues that were prevalent in Italy at the time—an approach already explored by Michelangelo.

The head is derived from antique prototypes (fig. 4), particularly recalling the Venus of Knidos by Praxiteles, known through numerous Roman copies (fig. 5). However, the attire—the shoulder guard, belt, diadem, and pearls woven into the undulating hair—belongs clearly to the Mannerist aesthetic. The shoulder piece may suggest that this is a representation of the goddess Minerva. Moreover, the unfinished back of the bust suggests it was intended for placement in a niche, possibly within a gallery or ceremonial hall (fig. 6).

Stylistically, the work evokes a broad range of Italian Mannerist sculpture, such as that associated with the refined court of the Este family in Emilia-Romagna and the sculptor Prospero Sogari, known as Clemente (Reggio Emilia, 1516–1584) (fig. 7). The Florentine milieu, too, is relevant, particularly around Domenico Poggini (Florence, 1520 – Rome, 1590), creator of several busts including that of Virginia Pucci Ridolfi (figs. 8–9), and Ridolfo Sirigatti (Florence, 1553–1608), master of Pietro Bernini, also a producer of Mannerist busts. Lastly, the Roman context must also be considered.

The rendering of the folds—both rigid and stylized—recalls the art of Guglielmo Della Porta (Porlezza, 1515 – Rome, 1577), and more broadly, the final generation of Roman Mannerist sculptors, particularly Nicolas Cordier (Lorraine, 1567 – Rome, 1612). His recognizable treatment of drapery, somewhat emphatic and crisply broken, is evident in the polychrome marble statue of the Moor, a classical work he extensively restored. The precious motif of the belt in that piece faintly echoes the one seen in the bust (fig. 10). Another telling comparison lies in the face of Lesa Deti Aldobrandini, a statue Cordier sculpted for her funerary monument in the Aldobrandini chapel of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. The face’s proportions, hair definition, eyelids, and carved pupils—all giving a fixed gaze—present strong similarities (fig. 13).

Another relevant sculptor to consider is Cristoforo Stati, known as Il Braccianense (Bracciano, 1556 – Rome, 1619), a transitional figure between late-Mannerist Florence and pre-Baroque Rome. Born near Rome, he moved to Florence around 1575 following Paolo Giordano I Orsini, who had married Isabella de' Medici. Stati achieved success there before relocating to Rome, where his presence is documented from 1607 onward. He worked on the Barberini chapel in Sant’Andrea della Valle (1613) and on the Pauline chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore. Though primarily known for mythological and allegorical nudes (e.g., Orpheus, Metropolitan Museum, New York; Cleopatra, Crediop, Rome; Allegory of Friendship, Louvre, Paris; Venus and Adonis, Bracciano, Palazzo Comunale), a comparison with his work is illuminating. Notably, the facial proportions, expressive pathos, treatment of hair, ears, and slightly parted lips show clear stylistic similarities (figs. 15–16).

While it is premature to definitively attribute this bust to Cristoforo Stati, the suggestion remains a strong hypothesis. Too little information is available about this sculptor—as is often the case with artists of this period—to allow for firm attribution. Nevertheless, this sculpture opens exciting and novel avenues for scholarly research.