Circle of Alessandro Algardi, 17th century

Circle of ALESSANDRO ALGARDI (Bologna, 1595 - Rome,1654).
Gilded bronze.
It has a base from a later period.
Provenance: Important Spanish private collection.
Measurements: 28 x 14 x 9 cm (sculpture).
A bronze round figure representing a saint is placed on a base from a later period. The lack of iconographic attributes does not allow us to identify the main character, who, due to his features, probably represents Saint Peter or Saint Gregory, as both are usually conceived as characters of mature age. The canon is stylised, the drapery work is highly naturalistic, with emphasis on the qualities of the brocade, and the face expresses a restrained boldness. The body is monumental and has an elegant, leisurely movement, in the classical Baroque manner. The saint's posture indicates that he was holding another element in his hands that is now lost. It was probably a monstrance, with the figure of the saint acting as its base.
The aesthetic characteristics bring us closer to the work of Alessando Algardi (Bologna, 1595 - Rome, 1654), who began his training under the guidance of Ludovico Carraci, although his knowledge of sculpture was due to the teachings of Giulio Cesare Conventi. After an initial artistic education in his native Algardi, he moved to Mantua, and later to Rome, under the patronage of Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi. In Rome he belonged to the cultural group of the pupils of the Carraci, his popularity was notable, although always overshadowed by the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini as a sculptor.