Attributed to Gabriele Brunelli (1615-1682) Francesco Saccenti ( circa 1610 ?-1687) Terracotta bust A number painted in white 21865 on the reverse of the bust; standing on a splayed terracotta base H. 61 cm (24 in.) Comparative bibliography : Imago Universitatis. Celebrazioni e autorappresentazioni di maestri e studenti nella decorazione parietale dell'Archiginnasio, ed. G.P. Brizzi, vol. II, Bologna, 2011, pp. 621-622, cat. no. CCXXXII. A. Sorbelli, Le iscrizioni e gli stemmi dell'Archiginnasio, vol. I, Bologna, 1916, p. 72. A Tomezzoli, Scultori 'foresti' a Verona nel Seicento, in La scultura veneta del Seicento e del Settecento. Nuovi studi, ed. G. Pavanello, Venice, 2002, pp. 41-25. A terracotta bust portrait of Francesco Saccenti (circa 1610?-1687), attributed to Gabriele Brunelli (1615-1682) This bust has in the past been linked to a Flemish origin, most likely due to the Nordic style of its clothes. The Italian art historian Maichol Clemente recently identified the figure, making it possible to date the bust here more precisely and put forward a convincing attribution. In the lower loggia of Bologna's Archiginnasio, now the seat of the University Library, on the right wall before the main staircase, in arch no. VIII, on the left pillar, stands the Memorial of Francesco Saccenti - on an oval plaque, framed by a laurel wreath and two figures of Sirens, it reads: D.O.M. / FRANCISCO SACCENTO / PHILOSOPHIAE ET MEDICINAE DOCT.ORI / SPATRIO IN LYCEO /QUINQUAGINTA ANNOS ET ULTRA / LECTORI / MARMOR / Q. PROBITATE VIRTUTE ET DIUTURNIT.E TEMP. / PROMERUIT / POSUIT / PRIOR ET UNIVER.S ARTIST.RUM /ANNO MDCLXXXVI"' (Dedicated to Francesco Saccenti, doctor of medicine and philosophy, professor for more than fifty years in this academy, this marble, which he deserved for his honesty, his virtue and his long services, was placed by the prior and the university of artists, in the year 1686). Above the epigraph, we can admire the image of the Bolognese doctor to whom this memorial is dedicated, an image that is similar, if not identical, to our current bust. Born in Bologna in the early 17th century, Saccenti graduated in philosophy and medicine on 3 July 1636 and began teaching medicine immediately afterwards. He became professor emeritus in 1677, continuing to teach until his death in 1687. Contrary to what is stated in the Latin dedication text, which indicates 1686 as the year in which the monument was built, we know that the Bolognese monument was built three years later, in 1689, when Saccenti had already died. Thanks to the known documents, which were consulted again on this occasion at the State Archives in Bologna, we can trace the early stages of the memorial's construction. Although the name of the artist employed to create the effigy of Saccenti is not given in any of the documents consulted, we can nevertheless speculate that he based the portrait on an existing image of the doctor, given that he had already been dead for two years when Ciardi submitted his request to the University of Bologna. It is therefore highly likely that our bust, which is undoubtedly more expressive than the one incorporated into the Bolognese monument - which, unlike the present terracotta, is more static and shows the head in line with the chest - was executed for Saccenti himself during his lifetime, or requested by someone for a special occasion that we do not know about. This hypothesis seems to be confirmed by comparisons between our bust and certain works by the sculptor Gabriele Brunelli, who was born in Bologna in 1615 and died there in 1682, the terminus ante quem for the creation of the present bust. Trained in the Roman workshop of Alessandro Algardi, Brunelli was one of the most highly regarded masters of seventeenth-century Bologna. He was commissioned to sculpt the portrait of Pope Gregory XV for the church of St Peter in Bologna in 1650. Brunelli also worked in the Veneto region, mainly between Verona and Padua. In Verona, he was first commissioned to create the statues of the Annunciating Angel and the Annunciating Virgin, placed in the niches in the side walls of the entrance to the Rosary Chapel in Sant'Anastasia. Produced in 1656 at the request of the governor of the Compagnia della Beata Vergine del Rosario, these two sculptures are the first works that can be referenced here as comparable examples useful for attributing the present bust to Brunelli. In addition to these religious commissions, Brunelli was entrusted with the execution of several portraits of the Venetian rectors who governed the city of Verona from 1664 to 1667 and from 1671 to 1673. The most famous of these is undoubtedly the Portrait of Caterio Cornaro, best known for his exploits in the war against the Turks. If we compare the latter with Saccenti's bust, we can see parallels not only in the eyes and superciliary arches, but also in the compact way in which the locks of hair are arranged and in the fact that they are closely delimited by the gradina. We would like to thank Maichol Clemente for his research and attribution, and will make the essay available on request. *Information for buyers: Lot from outside the EU: The hammer price is exclusive of VAT. VAT at the reduced rate of 5.5% applies to the hammer price. This VAT is recoverable for French professionals. 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