Not currently on display at the V&A

Head

fifteenth century (carved)
Artist/Maker
Desiderio Da Settignano (maker)
Place of origin
Florence (made)

This is a head of a boy in sandstone (pietra serena). The discoloration of the stone is explained by a tradition that the head was utilised as the weight of a clockwork spit in a kitchen in the Abruzzi. The angle of the neck suggests that the head may be a fragment of a decorative complex rather than an independent sculpture. It finds its closest point of reference in the putto heads in the frieze on the façade of the Pazzi Chapel, but is more coarsely executed, and seems to be the work of an imitator of Desiderio da Settingnano but not of a member of the Desiderio workshop.


Object details

Category
Sculpture
Object type
Head
Materials and techniques
Sandstone - pietra serena
Sandstone
Brief description
Head of a boy after Desiderio da Settignano. Florentine, 15th century.
Physical description
The head is represented bent over to the right, with open eyes and lips parted in laughter. The hair falls in a tress down the neck.
Dimensions
  • Height: 21.9cm
Subject depicted
Head
Summary
This is a head of a boy in sandstone (pietra serena). The discoloration of the stone is explained by a tradition that the head was utilised as the weight of a clockwork spit in a kitchen in the Abruzzi. The angle of the neck suggests that the head may be a fragment of a decorative complex rather than an independent sculpture. It finds its closest point of reference in the putto heads in the frieze on the façade of the Pazzi Chapel, but is more coarsely executed, and seems to be the work of an imitator of Desiderio da Settingnano but not of a member of the Desiderio workshop.
Bibliographic references
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. London, 1932. p. 42.
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, 1964. cat. no. 120. fig. no. 139.
  • Bellandi, Alfredo. Uno Stemma di Desiderio da Settignano. Nuovi Studi. 2. 1997, 4. pp. 33-40.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.6-1914

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O14756/head-desiderio-da-settignano/
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