Lot 321
CAIRANO DA MILANO, GASPARO (ACTIVE BRESCIA 1489-1513, D. 1517)
FAITH, CIRCA 1505
Auction: 28 September 2016 at 12:00 BST
Description
white marble, the seated figure dressed in flowing robes which drape across the knees, she holds a chalice in her right hand and gestures to it with her left, her long hair falling loosely on her shoulders while the rest is tied in a knot at the back of her head; the partially finished back with a metal fitting; on a shaped oval base
Dimensions
42.5cm high, 31cm wide
Footnote
Note: Gasparo Cairano (also known as Cairano da Milano) was based in the town of Brescia just outside Milan and was for a time its foremost sculptor. He received his first known commission, a series of twelve statues of the apostles, in 1489. Nothing is known of his life or career before this, but the surname 'Cairano' suggests that he may have originated from the nearby town of Cairate. After his first commission his style quickly matured, and far outstripped local competitors in terms of quality. His most famous works are the busts of Roman emperors that he produced for the façade of the Palazzo della Loggia and his ark of Sant'Apollonio to house the recently discovered relics of that saint. His work was little known outside of Brescia at the time and knowledge of him all but completely disappeared after his death. His work was rediscovered during the 20th century and continued scholarship has allowed re-attribution of pieces to his workshop. Gasparo Cairano has since been recognised as one of the more important sculptors working in Northern Italy at the beginning of the 16th century.
Provenance:
With Manheim, Paris
Acquired in 1890 by Prince Johannes II of Liechtenstein
Gartenpalais, Rossau, Vienna, before 1944
Schloss Vaduz, Liechtenstein, 1944
Sale of property from the collection of the princely House of Liechtenstein Collection, Christie's, Amsterdam, 1 April 2008, lot. 17
Related literature:
V. Zani, Gasparo Cairano e la scultura monumentale del Rinascimento a Brescia (1489-1517), PhD, Università degli Studi, Milan, 2003-2004
V. Zani, "Gasparo Cairano. Madonna col Bambino" in Spunti per conversare", 5, December, Galleria Nella Longari di Milano, 2001, pp. 17-32