Bust of a crowned Saint Queen in softwood (cembro... Lot 17

Bust of a crowned Saint Queen in softwood (cembro pine?) carved in the round, polychromed and gilded. Face with a kindly expression, eyes stretched to the temples with blue-rimmed pupils, dimpled cheeks and chin, smiling mouth with deep-set corners; wavy hair framing the head, partly covered by a short veil, one side of which falls back over the upper chest; neck emphasized by the rounded edge of the gown, formerly gilded and decorated with punched motifs, trace in the center of the former presence of a cabochon (relic?); high crown with large leafy finials enriched with oval and diamond-shaped cabochons (horn and pastilla?). Savoy, Aosta Valley, late 13th century H. 54.5 cm (small accidents and missing pieces) It is very likely that this surprising bust represents a female saint, like Saint Catherine, rather than a Virgin. It is not the upper part of a large sculpture, but rather a bust intended for an altarpiece. The uniqueness of the remnants of her former polychromy, with her somewhat hypnotic gaze, the friendliness of her expression and her large crown, combined with the nature of the wood used - softwood - all point to the art of the high Alpine valleys. These include the large Madonna from the church in the hamlet of San Giulio near San Damiano d'Asti, the earlier seated Madonna and Child, circa 1230/40, in the Palazzo Madama in Turin (inv.1141/L, fig.) and the even earlier altarpiece by the Maestro di Courmayeur in the same museum (inv. 1062/L). Book consulted : - E. Pagella ed., Gotico sulle vie di Francia - Opere dal Museo Civico di Torino, Siena, 2002, p 42, cat.1, p 52-55, cat.3, p 58-59.