Ranieri Tommasi

This fine terracotta bust, about half life-size (h. 27 cm.) portrays Ranieri Tommasi, a member of an aristocratic family of Cortona in Central Italy. The sitter is shown looking forward, with an alert facial expression, clean-shaven, slightly curly hair and side-burns, with the suggestion of a toga around his shoulders. The bust is truncated as a herm, which is inscribed in Greek lettering on the front with the sitter’s name. On the right side is the artist’s signature and date: ‘M. VAN-LINT/ F.A. 1801’. The naturalism of the sculpture is balanced by its classical restraint and overall form. The working of the surface of the terracotta is evident, for instance in the rendering of the incised pupils of the eyes, and the suggestion of lines on the forehead. The Adam’s apple on the throat is visible, and the hair is naturalistically modelled, while at the same time the bare chest and hint of drapery recall antique forms. Similarly, the use of ancient Greek for the inscription of the name reminds us of the sitter’s classical inclinations.