Description
Italian sculptor (18th century) — Pietà.
Full figure in carved, lacquered and painted wood.
The group depicts the Pietà according to traditional iconography: the Virgin Mary seated supports the lifeless body of Christ resting on her knees. The composition, small in format and intended for private devotion, reveals a skilled hand in the rendering of volumes and the articulation of the drapery. The modelling is concise but effective, with particular attention to the expressive quality of the faces. The original polychromy, partially preserved, shows the Virgin’s mantle in dark blue and her robe in red, the canonical colours of Marian iconography. The shaped base is painted red, consistent with the tradition of Italian devotional sculpture of the 18th century.
Condition report: Good overall state of preservation. Signs of ageing, wear and old woodworm activity are present.
