AFTER THE MODEL BY ALESSANDRO ALGARDI (ITALIAN, 1598-1654), FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY, THE BASE ROMAN AND FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY AND ORIGINAL TO THE BRONZE

A nearly identical composition attributed to Algardi, executed in gilt bronze and tortoiseshell can be found in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, Malta.
The figure of Christ is draped in a delicately chased robe and rests on a naturalistically chiseled rocky outcropping, characteristic to one of Algardi’s most recognizable compositions. The wooden base, very likely original to the bronze, is applied with exquisitely modelled silver appliques. The winged putto on the corner mounts are reminiscent of similar bronze feet on another example of one of Algardi’s most famous subjects, the Flagellation of Christ, previously in the Piccolomini Collection.