St. Barbara, Anonymous late Baroque sculptor 18th century

A sculpture of considerable size, it depicts Saint Barbara amongst the tower, in which she was imprisoned by her father for her dedication to the Christian faith, a symbol of her martyrdom.

The figure is wrapped in drapery that swirls around her like a vortex. The composition resembles some Baroque figures of Virgin Mary with child in arms, while the swirls of drapery moved by the divine wind. A parallel could be drawn with a well-known bronze sculpture by Algardi depicting Madonna and Child (Alexis Gregory collection, New York). Algardi's masterpiece, known in several replicas, is characterized by more classical drapery yet it has many points in common with our casting.

The original sculpture was attributed to ambit of Pierre Puget (1620-1694), a sculptor who worked extensively in Genoa. The works of Genoese area with sculptors such as Filippo Parodi (1630-1702) and his school should also be considered as parallels.

This sculpture was certainly made by a sculptor who collated themes of Baroque culture to produce an original and intriguing work. The bronze does not reveal any particular chiseling; it seems to have been made in the moment, to fix an idea, as a kind of sketch.