Workshop of Nicolò Roccatagliata circa 1560 - circa 1636

RELATED LITERATURE

Kryza-Gersch 1998, p. 111-126, figs. 215-217; Krahn 2003

This charming figure of an angel holding a chalice as well as a column encircled by a rope and surmounted by a cock is unmistakably from the workshop of Roccatagliata. The sculptor's predilection for putti with tightly curled hair and plump thighs is manifest here.

The attribution is further supported by comparison with an autograph group of four putti representing the Elements (Radcliffe and Penny 2004, op. cit., no. 18) in the Robert H. Smith Collection and, most notably, the four putti adorning the tabernacle in San Giorgio in Braida Verona (Kryza-Gersch 1998, op. cit., fig. 217) also holding symbols of the Passion.

The pose, swathe of drapery across the belly, the square base and the size relate directly to the Verona group.