Francesco Laurana - Bust of a Woman
The plaster cast is a copy of one of the nine known marble portraits of women by the Italian Renaissance sculptor Francesco Laurana (1430? - 1502).
Today we admire these portraits for their rarity, sensitivity and melancholic mood. It can seem as if the portrayed person is not even a physical being, but something from outside of time and space.
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Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2023 |
But the girl was hypothetically identified as Ippolita Maria Sforza, the wife of King Alfonso II of Naples.
The breast cavity may once have been covered by a metal brooch or pendant, and the cartouche may originally have been inscribed with the name of the sitter.
The base is decorated with classicizing figures of unknown narrative. On the marble, the remains of extensive pigmentation survive, but on the plaster it is reminded only by the carved ornamental decoration of the dress. It should be noted that originally all Laurana's busts were painted. Today, however, it is only visible on the version in the Kunsthistorische museum in Vienna.
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Courtesy of Royal Academy London |
After several centuries in obscurity, the marble statue was discovered in the country estate of the wealthy Florentine Strozzi family.
In 1887, Wilhelm von Bode bought it for the Berlin Museums. A year later, the authorship of the statue was attributed to Francesco Laurano. Although some critics believe that at least some of the nine portraits are forgeries, Laurana's attribution is generally accepted and our bust is one of those that do not raise doubts.
The original was severely damaged during a fire at the end of World War II. The head was separated from the shoulders and the decorative base. The head can be found today in the Bode Museum in Berlin. The rest is in the Pushkin State Museum in Moscow.
The plaster cast was made in the 1880s.
The Berlin bust, very popular at the time, is known for its many copies. Plaster casts were especially sought after in the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were considered crucial for the education of artists. They thus reached many institutions throughout Europe, including the Prague Academy.
And that's why I have one in my possesison as well.
Sources:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2023
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Royal Academy London
