142 - Italian school; first half of the 20th century.

Italian school; first half of the 20th century. “Girls.” Alabaster. Signed “J. Biagiotti” on the back. Measurements: 33 x 34 x 27 cm; 39 x 34 x 27 cm (with base). Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A sculptural group in the round, carved entirely from alabaster, depicting three girls jointly holding a large sheet of musical notation, the lines of which appear partially blurred by the passage of time. The composition stands out for its narrative character and for the integration of the figures into an everyday scene, in which the musical motif serves as a unifying element among the protagonists. The work reflects the naturalist sensibility that developed during the second half of the 19th century, which sought to bring scenes of everyday life into sculpture and to depict individuals in spontaneous poses, far removed from traditional academic idealization. This spirit, linked to the realist movements of the time and to the literary concerns of authors such as Émile Zola, fostered a new approach to childhood as an autonomous artistic theme, endowed with expressiveness and emotional appeal. In this context, the depiction of children underwent a notable evolution: in contrast to moralizing or allegorical images, scenes of play, learning, and social interaction took center stage, in which the naturalness of the gestures and the interaction between the figures constituted the primary means of expression. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this theme gained increasing popularity in the decorative arts and in small- and medium-scale sculpture.