19th-century Italian or French school

19th-century Italian or French school.
“Faust, Marguerite, and Mephistopheles.”
Carved white marble.
Measurements: 108 x 77 x 16.5 cm.

This refined marble relief depicts one of the most iconic scenes from *Faust*, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s masterpiece, considered one of the great milestones of world literature. The composition brings together its three protagonists: Faust, the scholar who strikes a pact with Mephistopheles in search of youth, knowledge, and fulfillment; Margaret (Gretchen), the young woman with whom he falls in love and whose innocence sets the drama in motion; and Mephistopheles, the demonic figure who, standing behind them and enveloping them in his cloak, symbolizes the constant presence of temptation and tragic fate. The pyramidal arrangement of the figures, the delicate expressiveness of their faces, and the masterful rendering of the folds lend the scene an intense narrative and emotional charge, transforming Goethe’s famous tale into a sculptural composition of great elegance and profound symbolism.