We are delighted to offer an Italian Classic Lady Bust by Arnaldo Giannelli / Portrait Bust of a Woman in a Medici Collar. Signed «A. Giannelli» presumably in 1968. Great overall condition, Alabaster with solid Grey & White Marble Base / Pedestal

Measurements: H 24cm, W 15,5cm, D 10cm

The artist, Arnaldo Giannelli (1907 – 2005), was an Italian Master Sculptor. Born in Volterra in 1907, he was a keen student of sculpture and graduated from the local Royal School of Art. In 1944 he opened his own studio and produced pieces also for the Allied Forces

In 1953, he was appointed President of the Alabaster Craftsmen Guild, a position he held until 1961, with over 800 associates. Among his most famous works is the bust for Dwight D Eisenhower, for which he received the American President's personal thanks. Mirko Basaldella, the famous sculptor, commissioned Giannelli to make a 3 metres high totem for the Boston University. He also made a bust of the President of Kenya, commissioned by Professor Fioravanti from Rome

For his professional achievements, Giannelli was awarded the title of “Cavaliere della Republica” in 1970. Today the factory he founded, “Egregia”, in Volterra, a city of Italy in Tuscany, is still famous for its alabaster manufacture. Tuscan alabaster occurs in nodular masses embedded in limestone. The mineral is worked largely by means of underground galleries, in the district of Volterra. Several varieties are recognized—veined, spotted, clouded, agatiform, and others. The pieces that the factory produces, in recomposed stone, are made of alabaster& marble powder. The one shown here, in alabaster on a marble base, is circa 1968 when similar busts were produced under personal management of Arnaldo Giannelli – please see on our photo # 11 another example on Ebay selling for US $325 (NZD $570)

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