Terracotta Sculptor Group By Angelo Piò (1690-1769) - 18th Century

A painted terracotta sculptural group by Angelo Piò, depicting the Virgin Mary, the baby Jesus, Saint Anthony and the cherubs. Bologna, 18th century. Angelo Gabriello Piò (Bologna, 1690 – Bologna, 1769) was an Italian sculptor active in Bologna in the Rococo style. He studied from 1711 to 1712 with Andrea Ferreri, and was also a pupil of Giuseppe Maria Mazza. After 1718 he studied in Rome with Camillo Rusconi. In 1721 Piò became a member of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna and worked with some of the leading Bolognese architects of the time. Piò mainly used stucco and colored terracotta, working in the Emilian Rococo style. He used these materials because of the scarcity of stone and marble, but he was able to closely imitate stone sculpture. His works were mainly religious, allegorical or mythological subjects.