AIC: Bust of a Youth [By Francesco Mochi]

Bust of a Youth [Saint John the Baptist?]
By Francesco Mochi [Italian 1580-1654]
1630/40
Marble on varigated black marble socle..
The marker reads..
One of the most individual sculptors of his age, Francesco Mochi possessed an astounding technical prowess. the sharp turn of the youth's head, his distant gaze and his parted lips are all characteristics of the immediacy of Baroque sculpture, and his vaguely classical dress suggests a historicizing context. This work may have been conceived as a portrait, but it was more likely to represent the youthful Saint John the Baptist. It's scale suggests that it was intended as an object for private devotion..








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