Virgin Of Marseille Santibelli Terracotta Child Jesus Cherubs Globe Nineteenth

Virgin of Marseille or santibelli * in polychrome and gilded terracotta, representing the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, standing on a base framed by two cherubs, in front of them a shell, with its globe, from the late 19th and early 20th centuries . This Virgin is in good general condition. It is very decorative. Paper or fabric decorations may be missing. A note: slit in the right arm of the Virgin, the neck and the orb of the child Jesus have been glued (see red arrows), wear of time especially on the sets, see photos. * The Santibelli The "Santibelli" are statuettes generally about forty centimeters high. Molded in terracotta, but also in plaster, from Italy, they are painted in very bright colors, sometimes sprinkled with sequins, or gold leaf. The origin of the name of these statuettes is difficult to define: here we evoke a very Marseilles nickname which qualifies as "Santibelli" the simpleton on duty, the sympathetic fool and not really smart. There, we imagine that "Santibelli" comes from the cry uttered by the Italian sellers who, according to tradition, hawked these objects: "Santi... Belli..."; like a cry from the street, which in a shortcut would have remained to designate these statuettes sold at the auction. Dimensions Base diameter 21 cm Globe height 45 cm / virgin 29 cm Reference: D10 93 All the photos are on: www.antiques-delaval.com