Peace Bearer, Pietà. Gilded Bronze. Probably Rome, Last Third Of The 16th Century-17th Century.

Peace Bearer, Pietà. Gilt bronze. Probably Rome, last third of the 16th century–first quarter of the 17th century, after a model by Michelangelo Buonarroti.
Gilt bronze plaque with an S-shaped handle on the back, attached to an L-shaped piece decorated with vegetal elements, which has reliefs on the front. The architectural frame is decorated with two curved pediments between which God the Father appears blessing, a series of motifs around the central theme, and a flat base with fine moldings on which the head of a winged angel appears. This central motif is an image of the Virgin Mary with the dead Christ supported by two angels, which closely follows a design attributed to Michelangelo Buonarrotti dated between 1538 and 1544 and preserved in Boston (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). It is worth remembering that by the mid-16th century, Michelangelo's Pietà, to which we are referring, was widely known thanks to drawings, reliefs, engravings, etc. There is also evidence of the existence of a bronze peace bearer made from this image (the one preserved in the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto is considered the only known example dating back to 1586), which gave rise to a notable production in Rome at the end of the 16th century, rich in renowned foundries, among which Jacopo (who worked with Michelangelo) and Ludovico Duca would stand out, linked to some of these peace bearers. It is also worth noting the similarity of the architectural composition of this piece with the entrance to the facade of the church of Santa Maria di Trivio in Rome, a work by Jacopo del Duca made between 1573 and 1575. Compare this piece with the gilded bronze peace bearer in the Bernard d'Agesci Museum in Niort, France (inventory 914.1.94), with another associated with the circle of Stefano Maderno kept in a private collection (different handle from this one), with the one from Loreto mentioned above and with another, with openwork external decorative elements, also in a private Italian collection. •
Dimensions: 11 x 5 x 17 cm