Bust of a Little Boy - Item #784

  11 Inches High x 10 Inches Wide x 6 Inches Deep A wonderful piece by sculptor Desiderio da Settignano (c.1429-1464) who was a master at portraying the faces of women and children. This piece is a perfect example of his skills, with the beautifully executed proportions, the soft contours of the head, the gentle pout, the uplifted eyebrows, and the wide eyes gazing at the world before him. On the original, there is a small hole at the top of the head that art historians have determined was meant to hold a stem for a halo. Thus, Desiderio may have intended to depict the infant Christ, or may first have created a portrait of an actual child which he later changed into a religious sculpture. The original piece is in the Andrew W. Mellon Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.   Artist: Desiderio da Settignano Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Time Period: Renaissance, c. 1455/1460 1911 Catalog ID # - 5163   Sources: "A Little Boy." National Gallery of