Italian school; late 18th century.

Italian school; late 18th century.
"Female bust.
Carved Carrara marble.
It presents faults in the headdress.
Provenance: Important Spanish private collection.
Size: 29 x 16 x 16 cm.
Neoclassical sculpture made in white carrara marble. The bust represents a young woman with her hair half tied up, although falling freely in curled locks on her shoulders. The face has soft features, with a straight nose and thin, tight lips, aesthetically following the models of classical antique statuary. The drapery, which falls from her shoulders in naturalistic drapery, is reminiscent, in the way it adheres to the skin, of the wet drapery technique also belonging to the classical tradition. It is worth noting that, during the 18th century, neoclassicism exalted the period's own interpretations of Greek and Roman culture, displaying a sense of restraint and stability that served as the goal of an era christened the Age of Enlightenment. This gave rise to a stylistic reinterpretation of the remaining vestiges of antiquity, with a proliferation of pieces that recreated the Roman and Greek style, as in this case, for example.
This trend was also boosted by activities such as the "Grand Tour", a term that first appeared in Richard Lassels' work "Le Voyage d'Italie", which was used to define the long journey through Europe, especially Italy, that young British aristocrats usually made from the 17th century onwards, but especially throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of the journey was for young people to become acquainted with the art and culture of mainly France and Italy, to admire classical art at first hand, to learn or improve their knowledge of languages, and to establish contacts and relationships with the cultural and political elites of these countries. Travellers were often looking for pieces with which to start their own art collections, objects to take back to their places of residence as souvenirs. For this reason, workshops specialising in the replication of Roman pieces, both in bronze and marble, sprang up, some of which acquired a great reputation.