An Italian white marble figure of Susanna, on pedestal

ATTRIBUTED TO GIOVANNI BATTISTA LOMBARDI, ROME, CIRCA 1870

Details

An Italian white marble figure of Susanna, on pedestal
Attributed to Giovanni Battista Lombardi, Rome, Circa 1870
The naked young woman sat on a rock at the edge of a pool, with long headscarf and with striped cloth draped across her thighs, on a circular naturalistically-carved base, with red-filled carved title to the front and with ivory turning handles to the sides, unsigned; revolving on a cylindrical veined white marble pedestal
The figure: 36 in. (93.3 cm.) high
The pedestal: 35 in. (90 cm.) high (2)

Lot Essay

Born in Rezzato, Brescia, where he attended the School of Design, Giovanni Battista Lombardi (d. 1880) studied under Lorenzo Vela in Milan and subsequently moved to Rome to work with Pietr Tenerani on funerary monuments, busts and reliefs of religious and classical inspiration. Establishing his own studio, Lombardi progressed to more genre and intimate subjects and was particularly keen on the portrayal of Old Testament heroines. As well as the present work, Susanna, other titles in this series included Deborah, Rebecca and Ruth. A life-size version of the latter, dated 1864, was sold in these rooms, 14 May 1998, lot 168. A larger version of the present work, signed and dated 1872, was sold in these rooms, 29 October 1998, lot 199.

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