MARBLE BUST DEPICTING A VIRILE FACE, Italian School, 18th / 19th century

Francesco Algarotti, the celebrated eighteenth-century philosopher, writer, and intellectual, was renowned for his role as a bridge between Italian culture and European philosophical salons. A friend of Voltaire and a frequent visitor of the leading courts and cultural circles of his time, he was an indefatigable promoter of the arts and sciences, embodying the Enlightenment ideal of erudition and refinement.

The bust is distinguished by the refined modeling of the facial features and the naturalistic rendering of the hair, effectively conveying the character and dignity of the sitter. The execution and stylistic qualities reveal a clear affinity with the school of Giovanni Antonio Cibèi, suggesting that the work may represent Algarotti and could have been produced by his workshop.