Desiderio da Settignano

Copy Page URL URL copied to clipboard Share on Facebook. Opens in new tab.) Copy Page URL URL copied to clipboard Share on Facebook. Opens in new tab.) The Getty Museum has acquired the Bust of a Young Boy , about 1460–64, by Desiderio de Settignano (Italian, circa 1430–1464). The approximately life-size sculpture is a well-known work by one of the most influential and skilled sculptors in Quattrocento (fifteenth-century) Florence. “This is an extraordinarily fine work by one of the greatest sculptors of the early Renaissance,” said Timothy Potts, director of the Getty Museum. “In his short but spectacular career (he died at about age 34), Desiderio de Settignano became one of the most renowned and sought-after artists of his generation, and it is remarkable good fortune that we are able to add such a rare and iconic work of his to our collection. Although sculptures dating from Quattrocento Florence have for museums been among the most coveted trophies for over a century, there is nothing comparable to this bust in any West Coast museum. At the Getty, it will be displayed with our collection of Renaissance paintings, where it will complement perfectly the works of great Florentine painters such as Fra Angelico, Masaccio, and Gentile da Fabriano.” Bust of a Young Boy portrays a little boy, probably around three years old. His head is turned slightly to the left, his half-opened eyes appear pensive and his lips are barely closed in a hint of a smile. He wears a fine tunic and sports the chubby cheeks and wispy hair characteristic of his age. The skillfully carved marble evokes smooth skin, a fleshy neck, and silky hair, whose elegantly intertwined locks are masterfully rendered in very low relief. “This seductive artwork is a dramatic addition to our sculpture collection,” said Anne-Lise Desmas, senior curator of sculpture and decorative arts at the Getty Museum. “It is a rare portrait by one of the most talented sculptors of the early Florentine Renaissance. In his own time, Desiderio was praised for the grace, delicacy, and liveliness with which he depicted youth. I’m sure that his lifelike and charming little boy will quickly become a beloved figure for our visitors.” Marble busts of young boys formed an important Renaissance sculptural genre that originated in mid-fifteenth-century Florence. It is most likely that Desiderio himself invented this type, which, beyond its role as portraiture, may have served to encapsulate the nobility’s increasing sense of its social and political identity, especially for patrons who saw their children as future leaders of the republic. These works reflected an awareness of ancient Roman portrait busts of children but are infused with a liveliness distinctive of the early Renaissance. Desiderio da Settignano’s precise birthdate is unknown, but was between 1428 and 1431, most likely in 1429 or 1430. He was born near Florence in Tuscany—as his name indicates—on the hill of Settignano, a well-known site of quarries for the pietra serena stone used in the architecture of Brunelleschi, and for the harder macigno stone used in Donatello’s sculptures. Desiderio’s three most important and best documented works are all in Florentine churches. His Monument of Carlo Marsuppini in Santa Croce, completed around 1459 and honoring the State Chancellor of Florence, counts among the most elegantly presented and beautifully carved humanist tombs. His wooden statue of Mary Magdalene in Santa Trinità, commissioned in 1458 by an important female patron, Annalena Malatesta, the daughter of Count Galeotto, is famous for its compelling naturalistic expression. His sacramental tabernacle for San Lorenzo, completed in 1461, shows an advanced combination of pictorial illusionism, perspective and decorative ornament that was completely new in Florentine marble carving and influenced all subsequent Tuscan tabernacles. Desiderio was particularly admired for his ability to carve in very low relief, called rilievo