France
15th Century or earlier
Botticino limestone, traces of paint, black marble base
6″ wide x 8″ deep x 9 1/4″ high (base 3 5/8″ wide x 3 5/8″ deep x 4″ high)

This limestone head of a young man most likely represents a saint that once inhabited a larger sculptural group, perhaps around the portal of a church. He has delicate features: parted lips and a soft gaze. There is a poetic attention to detail, evident in the precise design of each lock of hair. The nose, which was likely damaged during an iconoclastic event, has been sensitively restored at a later period. Mounted on a black marble base.