Attributed to the Workshops of Domenico Gagini (active circa 1449-1492 Palermo) Italian, Sicily, circa 1460

The Gagini were an Italian family of sculptors, masons and architects. One branch of the family originally came from Bissone Switzerland and was active in Genoa from the 15th century. Domenico, one of the most innovative members of the family, settled in Sicily between 1458 and 1463 and his branch remained active in Palermo until the 17th century. Domenico's style is marked by the influence of early Renaissance sculpture in Lombardy and it is likely that many of his studio assistants were from that region. The distinct and delicate facial features, wavy hair and drapery style evident in the present relief can be compared to several works attributed to the family, including the Madonna and St. John the Baptist (cf. Kruft, 1980, no. 189, 190). The present relief also shares similarities with a marble relief of the Virgin and Child in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (no. 49.19.3) which has been tentatively attributed to a sculptor from the Lombard region.

RELATED LITERATURE

W. R. Valentiner, 'The Early Development of Domenico Gagini', Burlington Magazine, vol. lxxvi (1940), pp. 76–87;

E. Arslan, ed. Architetti e scultori del quattrocento, Como 1959;

F. Negri Arnoldi, 'Revisione di Domenico Gagini', Boll. A., vol. lx, 1975, pp. 18–29;

B. Patera, 'Scultura di rinascimento in Sicilia', Storia dell' arte, 24/25, 1975, pp. 151–8; R. Pane, Il rinascimento nell'Italia meridionale, vol. ii , Milan, 1977, pp. 302–7;

H-W Kruft, Antonello Gagini und seine Söhne, Munich, 1980