74 - MERLINA OAR (Italy, 19th century.

MERLINA OAR (Italy, 19th century. “Pax.” Carved marble with a marble base. Signed and titled. Measurements: 40 x 37 x 13 cm. An allegorical female bust representing the personification of Peace (Pax). The figure has delicate features and a serene expression, with her gaze cast slightly downward, conveying a sense of contemplation, balance, and harmony. The sculpture demonstrates a remarkable mastery of marble carving, particularly evident in the treatment of the surfaces, the softness of the features, and the meticulousness of the ornamental details. The work is part of the tradition of 19th-century Italian figurative sculpture, linked to the revival of classical models and a taste for allegorical representations inspired by Greco-Roman art. During this period, academic sculpture frequently turned to the female figure to personify abstract concepts and universal values such as Justice, Victory, Liberty, or Peace. These representations revived the classical ideals of beauty, proportion, and harmony, adapting them to nineteenth-century aesthetic tastes. Remo Merlina was an Italian sculptor whose work is linked to the 19th-century figurative tradition. Little is known about his life, although his name is associated with marble sculptures and allegorical and ornamental works.