Luigi Bernini, Madonna Del Latte, Italy, 1800s, Terracotta

Details

Description

a wonderful plaque, an antique terracotta medallion, entirely hand-molded, a unique piece without a mold, signed with the acronym "l. … Read more a wonderful plaque, an antique terracotta medallion, entirely hand-molded, a unique piece without a mold, signed with the acronym "l. B." and dated 1677, depicting the madonna del latte with child in highly accentuated bas-relief.

useful information for appraising the item:
in our opinion, the only sculptor to whom we can attribute the authorship of this work, with the name corresponding to this acronym, working in rome, where we purchased the plaque, in the second half of the 17th century, is luigi bernini, brother of the more famous gian lorenzo bernini. From our online searches, we found a similar plaque, much more recent than ours, from the 19th century, and unsigned, therefore of significantly lower value, listed for €1,000-1,500 at the pandolfini auction house in florence, italy, in the "antique furniture and furnishings, objects of art" auction, lot 542, entitled "bas-relief, 19th century." we then found a much more recent plaque by alceo dossea, from the second half of the 19th century, slightly larger, listed for €6,000-8,000 at the cambi auction house in milan, italy, in the "sculpture and objects of art" auction held in december 2022, lot 125, entitled "madonna and child. Terracotta relief. Signed lower right alceo dossena (cremona 1878 - rome 1937)." finally, we found another plaque, the most similar in artistic quality, patina, and workmanship, dated 1600, the only one from the same period among those mentioned. It is unsigned and attributed to tommaso amantini, certainly less important than luigi bernini, but roughly the same size. It sold for €10,000 at bertolami fine art in rome, italy, at auction 32, titled "ancient ceramics," lot 50, titled "urbania, sculptor, tomasso amantini; 17th century, mid-third quarter. Terracotta oval." this is to give an idea of ​​the value of similar plaques.
(by googling the information for the items we listed, especially the title of the auction or sale listing in the same language as ours, the date, the lot number, and the auction house or the name of the selling website, you will, in most cases, be able to find and view the items mentioned.)

final considerations on the object:
this depiction of the madonna breastfeeding the child is extremely rare and truly unique. This iconography depicts the madonna del latte, a figure already present in the 1400s. It is highly venerated and important, and has been depicted in several paintings, the very first of which is the one in the tabernacle of the church of san lorenzo in castelbonzi, dating back to 1400, created by the maestro di signa. The very old patina is clearly visible throughout the sculpture, consistent with its dating. Furthermore, the terracotta is entirely hand-modeled, without a mold, which is clearly visible from the back, where it is usually completely flat. This is because the clay was generously poured into the mold, pushed with the fingers to fill it completely, and then the excess clay was removed with a spatula from the back, which was then leveled. Alternatively, you can see the fingerprints that pushed the clay into the mold, which were not subsequently leveled. Here, the back is completely irregular, uneven, with a central cross to provide greater support for the plaque. Finger marks are invisible, meaning the plaque was modeled entirely by hand without a mold. It is therefore a unique piece, not a multiple, a true work of art.

information on the artist and/or manufacturer:
luigi bernini (rome, 1612 – 1681) was an italian architect, engineer, and sculptor. He trained in the workshop of his brother, the more famous gian lorenzo bernini, whom he assisted on several projects. He was first active on the baldachin of st. Peter's; in 1626, he collaborated on the creation of an angel for the high altar in the basilica of sant'agostino in campo marzio, and collaborated on and created many other works, especially for other italian churches. He was particularly active in the fabbrica di san pietro as an engineer, designing the construction site's machinery, and created several sculptures inside st. Peter's basilica. Among the most important are the putto on the sarcophagus of countess matilda from 1634 and the relief with the angel carrying the cross of st. Helena from 1635-1639. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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