Bust of an elderly man with a caricature head, Orazio Marinali (circle of), c. 1680 - c. 1720

Bust of an elderly man with a caricature head, Orazio Marinali (circle of), c. 1680 - c. 1720

white Carrara marble, h 38cm × w 26.5cm × d 14.5cm × w 15.7kg More details

Marble portraiture, usually reserved for rulers and the nobility, is here playfully employed for a base subject: a coarse old man’s head with grotesque features. This kind of overturning of convention and mocking of artistic decorum was highly appreciated by art collectors.

On display in room 2.13