Northern Italy - Late 14th Century - Marble Angelic Protome

A splendid marble protome depicting the face of an angelic figure.
The small sculpture appears to be part of a flat marble surface, suggesting that it served as an architectural element—part of a corbel or the decoration of a church portal or façade.
Church portals often feature figures that emerge from the wall surface to welcome and guide the faithful into the sacred space.
The figure in question has features of extreme gentleness, though it is weathered by time and exposure to the elements (and to water, as evidenced by the calcareous deposits on its surface).
The hair, which falls in waves, is parted down the center and held back horizontally by a headband at the temples, creating two bulges that lend movement and character to the figure.
The eyes, expressive and deeply carved, retain their expression despite the wear.
The modernity that emerges from this highly expressive and meaningful piece (both from an artistic and religious perspective) places the artifact in late 14th-century Lombardy, where the mature Gothic style produced examples of great figurative modernity and artistic quality, while remaining strongly and fundamentally anchored in the traditional Gothic framework.
Dimensions: 15 x 12 x 11H cm