Sculpture Terracotta Bust Madonna Signed A.Neri Early 20th Century

Terracotta Sculpture depicting bust of Madonna Signed A.Neri ( alfredo neri 1862-1928 )Early 1900s. Perfect condition . Measure L29 h27 Terracotta bust of a sculpture of the Virgin Mary, entitled "MATER GRATIAE" (Mother of Grace). The sculpture is a bas-relief depicting the face of Our Lady with closed eyes and a serene expression. There are few known works by sculptor Alfredo Neri (Bologna, July 14, 1862 - 1928 or 1932); among the few mentioned in sources is the one presented at the 1884 Turin General Exhibition, entitled Il primo sonno dell'uomo (Man's First Sleep), of which the Museo del Risorgimento in Bologna possesses a period photograph. The subject chosen by Neri makes it possible to show his achievements in the study of anatomy and sculptural techniques at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Alessandro Massarenti (1846 - 1923) twenty years earlier had exhibited a sculpture with the same title at the Academy, thus providing some cause for study and inspiration for the younger artist. The theme of the nude, reclining male figure is evidently taken from Roman copies of Hellenistic sculptures. Giovanni Duprè, with his Dying Abel of 1842, and Giovanni Strazza with Ishmael (1845) are the first to give it a modern reinterpretation. Another well-known work is the decoration of the portico of the Arena del Sole in Bologna, completed in 1888 with stucco decorations and concrete sculptures on the attic. In the Certosa cemetery he sculpted several works, including the Galletti Cell Reassignment and several portraits, such as that of his friend Giuseppe Pacchioni. Other funerary sculptures are those for the Ceneri and Romagnoli families, both updated to the changes in international taste, which by then were declining toward Art Nouveau. Finally, of note is the refined angel of the Cella Vignoli, signed and dated 1891. At later dates he is documented in Florence, where in 1919 he presented bronze and silver medals, and in the local Galleria d'arte Moderna the bronze Ballerina, dated 1916, and a plaster cast entitled La falciatrice are preserved.