A GOLD FIGURE OF A SEATED PUTTO

The present figure of a seated putto almost certainly adorned a table cabinet or private altarpiece, and is exceptionally rare for having been executed in almost pure gold. Stylistically, it follows in the tradition of Nicolo Roccatagliata's putti with their distinctive curly hair, heavy-lidded eyes, fleshy body proportions and small feet. However, the stamped hallmarks on the reverse of the proper right wing clearly indicate that the present figure was executed by a goldsmith in the later 17th century (see P. Pazzi, I Punzoni dell'argenteria e oreficeria Veneta, 1992, p. 96). The attributes of the cockerel perched on a tower and the serpent are presumably heraldic devices associated with the commissioning family, although the latter has so far remained unidentified.