Bidspirit auction | Madonna with Child, Bolognese artist,

Madonna with Child, Bolognese artist, 17th-18th century - Polychrome terracotta; 56x32x29 cm. Missing left hand of the Madonna This important sculpture depicts the Madonna sitting on the clouds with the Child in her arms. The Madonna wears a simple tunic of a very intense red color. The Child, naked and standing, is supported by his mother with her right arm. Both figures, masterfully modelled, show absorbed and distant expressions, with a vague hint of melancholy. This polychrome terracotta sculpture, given its small but important dimensions, may have been intended for domestic worship. This is almost certainly a Bolognese production linked to the great plastic culture of authors such as Giuseppe Maria Mazza (Bologna, 1653-1741) or his entourage. Bibl. AAVV, Nativity Scenes and Terracotta in the Civic Museums of Bologna, Nuova Alfa Editoriale, Cento (Ferrara), 1991.