Giovanni Battista Ricci – Animal Sculpture

Important animal sculpture representing a lion – attributed to Giovanni Battista Ricci. An elegant and expressive animal sculpture representing a lion, made of plaster with a patina imitating bronze. Giovanni Battista Ricci is an Italian sculptor known for his work in the field of animal sculpture. Several of his plaster models are now preserved in Italian public collections, notably at the Museo Civico di Vigevano. Among them are several animal studies dated from the period 1925–1949. The sculpture features a very heavily aged antique patina, with numerous signs of wear, chips, losses of material/patina, abrasions, marks, and irregularities visible in the photographs. These signs have been intentionally preserved and do not constitute a recent restoration: they testify to the current state of conservation of the piece. Artist: Giovanni Battista Ricci (1891–1956) Subject: lion / animal sculpture. Technique: patinated plaster imitating bronze. Signature: "RICCI" Proposed origin: Italy. Proposed period: 20th century, probably the first half of the 20th century. Dimensions: approximately 32 × 20 × 10 cm. Weight: approximately 1.40 kg.