Giuseppe Maria Mazza (1653 Bologna - 1741 ibid.) Circumference Madonna Terracotta tondo. Relief sculpture depicting Mary seated on clouds with a book above the serpent and crescent moon. Christ, pressed against his mother in unconditional love, grasping her veil with his left hand. In the dynamically moving, lively depiction of the child and the subtle expression of Mary's inwardness, this is an artistically outstanding work from the circle of the important Italian Rococo sculptor Giuseppe Maria Mazza, who specialised in terracotta sculptures. As one of the leading sculptors of his time in Bologna, he studied under Lorenzo Pasinelli and Carlo Cignani and created many reliefs for church interiors as well as many sculptures for Prince Johann Adam Andreas von Liechtenstein. His works can be found in the major museums of our time, including the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Portland Art Museum. The latter owns a similar terracotta tondo by Mazza, Mary with Jesus and John, under inv. no. 81.103.1. Minimally dam., rest; 40 cm x 32.5 cm. Silver-plated bronze frame. Provenance: Dissolution of an important German private collection - part II. An Italian terracotta tondo of Madonna attributed to the circle of Giuseppe Maria Mazza (1653-1741). Bronze frame silver plated. Minor chipped, restored.