18th century Italian school Allegory of Meditation Bronze bust with brown patina Height Height : 99 cm Related works : -Italy, first half of the 18th century, Parque, marble bust, Edinburgh, National Galleries Scotland, inv.NG 2755 ; -Italy, Bust of a Parque, early 18th century, marble, 76 × 70 × 38 cm, Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum, inv. 4587. Related literature: -Gerbert Frodl (ed.), Wandlungen - Ereignis Skulptur. Die Sammlung René Clemencic, cat. exp. exhibition, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, 2003, ill 21, p. 260-261 ; This very old woman holding a book in her left hand and touching her temple with her right index finger appears to be, according to the description in César Ripa's iconological dictionary, the Allegory of Meditation. Depicted with unprecedented realism, this bronze work is similar to a series of busts of old women identified with the Fates Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, the divinities of ancient mythology who direct human destiny. There is no consensus on the dating or creator of these remarkably executed sculptures in marble or bronze. After an initial attribution to Michelangelo (because of its resemblance to the Sibyl of Cumae in the Sistine Chapel), the names of various sculptors were put forward and then abandoned: Francesco da Sangallo (1494-1576), Antonio Montauti (1685- 1740). The last, who was not unanimously approved, was the sculptor Giusto le Court (1627-1679).