Biscuit bust of the pseudo-Seneca after Guido Reni, end XVIII th c.

Biscuit bust of the pseudo-Seneca after Guido Reni mounted on a wooden sheath, late eighteenth century.

The head is modeled after the pseudo-Seneca by Guido Reni, also the old man's head, whose original terracotta is in Madrid. The biscuit is quite faithful to the work of Guido Reni but his head is less turned on the right.

This head fell into a certain oblivion, but had a strong celebrity after its creation, and was perhaps the most famous head of expression before the work of Messerschmidt. She often appeared in wunderkammer or libraries, before being supplanted by copies of the bronze bust of the pseudo-Seneca found at Herculaneum in 1754, that one much more appeased.

Mounted in a beautiful carved wooden sheath decorated with scales, and surmounted by a drapery painted in imitation of marble.

Probably second half of the eighteenth

height: 28 cm - width: 17 cm - depth: 12 cm

Good general condition. Some lack of paint and traces of dirt on the biscuit.