Female bust, late 19th century

Female bust in polychrome plaster, following Florentine Renaissance models. End of the XIX century - beginning of the XX century
Polychrome plaster.
On the back it is numbered with the incised number "224" and the letter "R.", which could indicate belonging to an institutional collection, museum or didactic gallery.
It presents small faults, superficial wear and alterations typical of its age.
Measurements: 49 x 44 x 17 cm.

Sensitive historicist reinterpretation of a female bust of the early Renaissance, this sculpture in polychrome plaster delicately recreates the ideals of beauty and spirituality of the Italian Quattrocento, in particular the style cultivated by Florentine artists such as Desiderio da Settignano or Mino da Fiesole.
The figure represents a young woman with a serene and recollected expression, with half-closed eyes, in an introspective attitude. The face, oval and with soft features, conveys a quiet elegance. The hair is combed back and gathered in a low bun, in accordance with the fashion of the 15th century, executed with a detail that reinforces the fidelity to Renaissance models.
The bust includes a rich ornamental treatment in the clothing, with engravings of vegetal motifs of late Gothic aesthetics, and a polychrome that successfully imitates the effect of marbled marble and embroidered fabrics of the period. The use of polychrome plaster responds to the common practice in the academic and decorative art of the late 19th century, when replicas and reinterpretations of Renaissance pieces were produced for the decoration of cultured interiors or as pedagogical material in art academies.