Laughing Boy
ca. 1460/64 | Desiderio da Settignano
Desiderio invented a new genre for private devotion: small busts of boys as idealized depictions of Christ and John the Baptist, chiefly intended to inspire children to virtuous behaviour through identification with the sacred models. The sculptor, himself a father many times over, created one of the earliest child portraits in the history of art with this exceptionally lively bust.
Desiderio invented a new genre for private devotion: small busts of boys as idealized depictions of Christ and John the Baptist, chiefly intended to inspire children to virtuous behaviour through identification with the sacred models. The sculptor, himself a father many times over, created one of the earliest child portraits in the history of art with this exceptionally lively bust.
Artist:
Desiderio da Settignano (1429/30 Florenz - 1464 Florenz) DNB
Time:
ca. 1460/64
Object Name
Statuette; Bust; Stone Sculpture
Culture
Florence
Material/technology:
Marble
Dimensions:
33 cm × 21,5 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer
Invs.
Kunstkammer, 9104