A long-lost sculpture linked to the Italian artist behind Rome’s Trevi Fountain has resurfaced at a Wiltshire reclamation yard—and could sell for as much as $13,270.
The 27-inch-tall marble maquette depicting Pope Clement XII was discovered by a collector at a salvage yard in Wiltshire, England. The small-scale work is attributed to Pietro Bracci, one of 18th-century Rome’s leading sculptors.
Bracci was commissioned by the Roman Senate to create a bronze portrait of Pope Clement XII, commemorating the pontiff’s donation to the Capitoline Museums.
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The sculpture is expected to bring between $6,635 and $13,270 at auction on Oct. 8—an extraordinary increase from the $400 paid for it when it was first purchased.
Mark Yuan Richards, a furniture specialist at Woolley and Wallis, said the artifact, thought to date from the 1730s, “is an exceptionally exciting discovery.”
He added: “To have a rare eighteenth-century marble figure of Pope Clement XII by Pietro Bracci come to light, and now be offered for sale, is a remarkable opportunity.”
“Bracci was one of the great sculptors of eighteenth-century Rome, and this extraordinary survivor offers a tangible connection to the world of the papal court and the artistic splendour of the period.”
