Italian School of the Late 19th–Early 20th Century

Italian school, late 19th–early 20th century.
“Bust of a Girl.”
Bronze sculpture with a marble base.
Measurements: 27 x 20 cm (34 cm with base).

The bust depicts a young woman, a girl, with a pensive and melancholic expression. Her facial features are gentle, with rounded yet balanced contours. The young woman wears a simple dress with a V-neckline; the fabric clings to her body, revealing her figure. Her hair is parted in the middle and gathered into two long braids that accentuate her youth. A scarf partially covers her head, indicating her humble status—likely that of a peasant girl. The idealized depiction of ordinary people, especially those from rural areas, was common throughout the second half of the 19th century, when, following the Romantic movement, interest was rekindled in the national roots of the people and their folklore—which was gradually being lost with industrialization but remained preserved among the rural population.