"A portrait is a picture in which there is just a tiny little something not quite right about the mouth." -- John Singer Sargent

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Giacomo Maria Stampa



This 1553 marble bust of Giacomo Maria Stampa by a follower of Leone Leoni stands in the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland.
"This piece is executed in the style of Leone Leoni, the most celebrated sculptor in 16th-century Milan.  The stern expression and the realistic features of this impressive bust are appropriate for its sitter. Trained as a lawyer,Stampa (1487-1553) was made a judge in 1523 by the Spanish rulers of Milan, and later he became a senator. The senatorial rank is traced back to the ancient Roman Republic, and Stampa is depicted wearing a toga. The plaque dates the bust and informs us that the senator was 66 years old when it was made. It may be a commemorative work created just after his death. The enslaved figures supporting the bust testify to Stampa's authority." -- The Walters Art Gallery
 

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