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Renaissance-style tomb of Maria Catharina Sabello
Italian
20th century
about 1920
Medium/Technique
Stone; marble
Dimensions
180 cm (70 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Maria Antoinette Evans Fund
Accession Number24.150
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionSculptured effigy reclining on sarcophagus with acanthus cutting; flanked by two decorated pilasters; composite capitals, carved cornice; two armorial shields; whole supported on two richly carved console brackets. Yellow and grayish white marble.
Provenance20th century, created by Alceo Dossena (b. 1878 - d. 1937) [see note 1]; by 1922, sold as a tomb by Mino da Fiesole (Italian, b. 1429 - d. 1484), probably by Dossena's dealers, Alfredo Fasoli and Alfredo Pallesi, Rome, to Elia Volpi (b. 1858 - d. 1938), Florence; 1923, sold by Volpi, through Carlo Balboni, Venice, to Philip Gentner for the MFA for $100,135. (Accession Date: April 3, 1924)
NOTES:
[1] Alceo Dossena produced imitations of Renaissance and antique sculpture, which were sold by the Roman dealers Alfredo Fasoli and Alfredo Pallesi as authentic. By 1922, this tomb had already been sold to the restorer and collector Elia Volpi. Through the Venetian dealer Carlo Balboni, Volpi offered it for sale, and in 1923 it was acquired by the MFA. In 1928 the press exposed the fraudulent practices of Fasoli and Pallesi, and the authenticity of the MFA tomb was brought into question -- although it continued to be debated for many years. For more information, see Roberta Ferrazza, "Alceo Dossena e i falsi d'autore," in Palazzo Davanzati e le collezioni di Elia Volpi (Florence, 1994), pp. 223-254.
NOTES:
[1] Alceo Dossena produced imitations of Renaissance and antique sculpture, which were sold by the Roman dealers Alfredo Fasoli and Alfredo Pallesi as authentic. By 1922, this tomb had already been sold to the restorer and collector Elia Volpi. Through the Venetian dealer Carlo Balboni, Volpi offered it for sale, and in 1923 it was acquired by the MFA. In 1928 the press exposed the fraudulent practices of Fasoli and Pallesi, and the authenticity of the MFA tomb was brought into question -- although it continued to be debated for many years. For more information, see Roberta Ferrazza, "Alceo Dossena e i falsi d'autore," in Palazzo Davanzati e le collezioni di Elia Volpi (Florence, 1994), pp. 223-254.