RENAISSANCE RELIQUARY BUST Northern Italy, 16th... Lot 29

RENAISSANCE RELIQUARY BUST Northern Italy, 16th century Terracotta H. 37 cm; W. 38 cm The dating is corroborated by a thermoluminescence test carried out by QED Laboratoire, on 13/06/2016: "the average age of the last firing of the samples is between 400 and 475 years". This terracotta bust, mounted on a pedestal, represents a young girl with braids untied on her shoulders. Her chest is decorated with a four-lobed medallion, intended to house her relics. Her beautiful face is similar to those used by Andrea Riccio (Padua, ca. 1470-1532) in his terracottas (fig. 1).