796 - Madonna and Child with Two Angels

Madonna and Child with Two Angels Attributed to Sebastiano Nicolini or Niccolò Roccatagliata Early 17th century Bronze, cast Height 50 cm Expert reports available Provenance: Prince of Collalto; Guido von Rhò Collection, Vienna (1908); Reinhold Hofstätter, Vienna Bibliography: E. W. Braun, The Bronzes of the Guido von Rhò Collection in Vienna, Vienna 1908, p. 15, Plate X. Niccolò Roccatagliata and his son Sebastiano Nicolini are among the leading figures in Venetian bronze sculpture of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Roccatagliata, born in Genoa around 1560, was working in Venice by 1594 at the latest and ran a workshop in which his son also worked. Nicolini developed into a sculptor in his own right and continued to run the workshop after his father’s death in 1629. Their closely intertwined bodies of work sometimes make it difficult to attribute individual bronze works with certainty. This group depicts the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus and two small winged angels. It stands on a plinth above a richly decorated base. On three sides, a symmetrically arranged relief is repeated, featuring two putti holding a coat of arms. This heraldic framing lends the depiction a ceremonial character; the coat of arms may refer to the original patron. Mary wears a veil over her hair and a richly pleated dress, which is belted at the chest. In her arms she holds the infant Jesus, wrapped in a swaddling cloth. The large sphere in the Child’s hand can be interpreted as a globe and thus as a reference to his status as Salvator Mundi, the Saviour of the World. Mother and Child direct their gaze downwards towards the two angels, whose gestures bring the group together in a scene of heartfelt devotion. One angel clasped the Child’s foot and raised it to his cheek. This tender touch can be interpreted as an expression of reverent devotion. The second angel turns upwards in a lively twist and reaches out with an outstretched hand towards the other foot. The small wings, dynamic postures and playful gestures lend the accompanying figures the vitality that particularly characterises the repertoire of Roccatagliata’s and Nicolini’s workshops. The bronze bears a close resemblance to a signed ‘Madonna and Child’ by Roccatagliata in the Musée national de la Renaissance in Écouen (Inv. No. Cl. 13272). The posture, clothing and facial expression provide key points of comparison. The more softly modelled facial features of this Madonna, as well as the hair of the infant Jesus, which is engraved flat into the surface, could be indications that the work was executed by Sebastiano Nicolini or a member of his workshop. The characteristic curls of the two putti, on the other hand, are clearly in the tradition of Roccatagliata. A related group, differing in certain details, is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (Inv. No. 1978.516.5). The work, dated to around 1630, is attributed to Sebastiano Nicolini in the most recent catalogue edition. In particular, the angels turning towards the child and the way they touch his foot illustrate the close relationship between the two compositions. The comparison also highlights how established figure types were adopted within the workshop and further developed in different versions. Bronze made it possible to render finely differentiated folds in the robes, sculptural curls and complex, interlocking groups of figures. The casting process also allowed models to be produced in multiple copies and individual motifs to be varied. Such sophisticated small bronze works were both religious sculptures and prized collector’s items. This Madonna may have been intended for a private prayer room, a domestic altar or a chapel. Its elaborate plinth design and the recurring coat of arms suggest a prominent display in the home of a wealthy patron.