Lot 91: WORKSHOP OF PIETRO BARATTA (1668-1729), ITALIAN, CARRARA, EARLY 18TH CENTURY

WORKSHOP OF PIETRO BARATTA (1668-1729), ITALIAN, CARRARA, EARLY 18TH CENTURY BUST OF BACCHUS white marble 81cm., 31 7/8 in.

This monumental bust of Bacchus is comparable to the important commissions for marble busts and figures ordered for Peter the Great of Russia from Pietro Baratta and other Italian sculptors for the gardens of the Tsar's various palaces. Notable comparisons can be made with the female busts of Opulence (h. 97cm, with socle) and Autumn (h. 95cm, with socle) placed in the Summer Garden in 1736. The overall conception of these busts is always on a grand scale with the drapery falling unevenly over the shoulders playing a large part in the decorative quality of the busts.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Androsov, Pietro il Grande e la Scultura Italiana, St. Petersburg, 2004, pp. 334-348