Italian Christ of the mid-16th century. Following... Lot n° 4

Italian Christ, mid-16th century. After models by GUGLIELMO DELLA PORTA (Italy, ca. 1550-1577). Sculpture in gilded bronze and silver cross. Size: 12 x 10 cm (Christ); 45 x 23 cm (cross). The Christ presented here follows the model of the crucifix by Sebastiano Torrigiani, in turn derived from a model by his master Guglielmo della Porta, which is in the church of San Giacomo Maggiore in Bologna. The figure of Christ crucified with only three nails accentuates the drama of the scene. This theatricality is enhanced by the elongation of the upper limbs, which support the full weight of the figure's body. Guglielmo della Porta was a renowned Italian sculptor, architect and restorer of Mannerism. The son of Cristoforo della Porta and his wife Caterina, he received his artistic education from his uncle Giovanni Battista della Porta in Genoa. He worked for the cathedral of Genoa during his early years of artistic training as early as 1531 together with his brother Giacomo and under the direction of his uncle on the statues in the chapel of Saint John the Baptist. In 1537 he moved to Rome and became a pupil of Michelangelo, thus gaining a greater number of commissions. An example of this is the bust he executed for Pope Paul III in 1547, after his death, and the tomb of Saint Peter, which was his principal work, which occupied him from 1555 to 1575, although it was later revised by Bernini. His career as a sculptor to the Farnese court was due to his contact with Mario Maccarone, the overseer of papal building projects. In 1540, as Della Porta he designed the tomb of Vincenzo degli Ubaldi in the church of Santi XII Apostoli. Della Porta was a lay brother of the Cistercians and was called from 1547 to the papal coinage. Among other things, his studio was commissioned to complement the legs of Farnese's torso, which was found in 1546. The result was so convincing to his contemporaries that on Michelangelo's own advice he was approved to link the ancient limbs of the statue, which had been excavated. Today his works are to be found in various places of great historical and artistic significance, such as his sculpture of Moses in San Lorenzo de Fiori, or for example his works in the Giuliano chapel of the cathedral of Genoa, in Santa Maria del Popolo, and his bust of Paul III which is in the Museum of Capodimonte.