Saint Helena, Empress
Artist: Attributed to Desiderio da Settignano (Italian, 1429 - 1464)
Date: about 1460-1464
Dimensions:
H: 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm); W: 15 in. (38.1 cm)
Medium: Pietra serena (dark gray sandstone)
Place of Origin: Italy (Florence)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1938.122
Label Text:Displayed again after many decades off view, this low relief profile bust of a woman was acquired by the Museum in 1938 as a work by the renowned 15th-century Florentine sculptor Desiderio da Settignano. In the 1800s it was considered a masterpiece by the even more famous Donatello, but by the mid-20th century had been demoted to the rank of a late 19th-century imitation—in short, a forgery. Recent scholarship has now “rehabilitated” the sculpture as a work of art from the Renaissance.
Many factors have contributed to the reassessment of this object. Most importantly, it is now documented that the relief was in the possession of Englishman Samuel Woodburn, who obtained it in Italy by the early 1840s, long before forgeries of Renaissance sculpture became popular. Secondly, the sculpture was carved from pietra serena, a soft stone that did not permit the same refinement of execution as marble, which was more commonly utilized by Desiderio and his circle. Pietra serena is more susceptible to damage from over-zealous cleaning, as the Toledo relief experienced at some point prior to 1913. These issues have clouded objective assessment of the sculpture, but art historians have recently studied it anew. It is now generally regarded as 15th-century Florentine, with some scholars asserting, again, that it is from the hand of Desiderio himself.
The subject of the relief, too, has been revisited. Once variously thought to represent the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine, or Saint Cecilia, the figure, crowned with both a diadem and a halo, is now identified as Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantinewho was an influential early convert to Christianity.
Many factors have contributed to the reassessment of this object. Most importantly, it is now documented that the relief was in the possession of Englishman Samuel Woodburn, who obtained it in Italy by the early 1840s, long before forgeries of Renaissance sculpture became popular. Secondly, the sculpture was carved from pietra serena, a soft stone that did not permit the same refinement of execution as marble, which was more commonly utilized by Desiderio and his circle. Pietra serena is more susceptible to damage from over-zealous cleaning, as the Toledo relief experienced at some point prior to 1913. These issues have clouded objective assessment of the sculpture, but art historians have recently studied it anew. It is now generally regarded as 15th-century Florentine, with some scholars asserting, again, that it is from the hand of Desiderio himself.
The subject of the relief, too, has been revisited. Once variously thought to represent the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine, or Saint Cecilia, the figure, crowned with both a diadem and a halo, is now identified as Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantinewho was an influential early convert to Christianity.
On view
In Collection(s)