Interesting and rare example of a 16th-century terracotta Vanitas, finely executed by an artist active within a ceramics workshop, most likely Florentine.
It is possible, in fact, that this life-size Vanitas may have come from the prestigious 16th-century workshop of the della Robbia family, as it shows stylistic similarities to those produced by Luca della Robbia the Younger (1475-1548?) during the first quarter of the 16th century, who was a first-rate artist and promoter of the "naturalia" genre: productions intended for domestic furnishings or elite studies that are characterized by the search for a marked realism and a strong illusionistic impact.
The work is a classic "memento mori", an allegorical representation of the transience of human life.
The majolica represents the philological reconstruction of a skull, both in terms of dimensions and features of absolute verism.
The object measures 14.5 height x 17.5 total length. The measurements including its wooden base are 25.5cm.
A certificate of authenticity is included with the sale.
