Raffaello Romanelli 1856 - 1928 - Shepherd Boy 1910

I love museums and can spend hours exploring them.  When I lived in New York, I loved spending time at the Met.  When I lived in San Francisco, I had memberships to the Legion of Honor, and the De Young.  It's great being able to see in person, masterpieces created through the centuries.  At the De Young, there is a room of American artists which features mostly paintings, but also has some nice marble statues.  There is marble statue of Delilah by William Wetmore Story that is very striking.  There's another in the same room - Penelope by Franklin Simmons, also beautiful.  Classic marble statuary is not something you see every day.  So imagine my joy in finding just such an example for my collection!

No, this piece is not of the same caliber as the two masterpieces I mentioned above, but it is a beautiful example from the late Nouveau period.  It's a sculpture of a shepherd boy or goat herder taking a break.  He sits relaxed on a stone, his staff resting beside him, a water jug strapped to his waist, and a piece of food in his hand.  He stares peacefully off into the distance - perhaps keeping an eye on his flock.  The piece is in marble and signed Romanelli 1910.  It is likely the work of Raffaello Romanelli (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaello_Romanelli).  The Romanelli's are a multi-generational family of artists and they still have a studio in Firenze, Italy today.

I contacted them to inquire about the piece.  They said it was quite likely that it was carved by Raffaello, or by the gallery at the time.  I'm assuming he had artisans and craftsmen working for him that may have produced pieces like this.  His larger works are typically signed Prof. Raffaello Romanelli.  I don't know if he signed it differently because of the size or because it was produced by his studio.  Regardless, it is a museum quality marble statue that I simply love!  I'm thrilled to add it to my collection. (click for larger images)

UPDATE: I added a picture of me with the statue to show scale - I realized I never mentioned the size!

Richard MacDonald - Flight in Attitude

Here is the second of two Richard MacDonald sculptures I recently purchased.  This is a bronze depicting a graceful ballerina.  After admiring his work for over 20 years, I was so thrilled to add a piece to my collection.  This picture really doesn't do the piece justice.  The patina is exceptional - I've added a close-up picture to show the detail (click for larger image).

Richard MacDonald - Angelic Crystal

I've been really busy lately and have not had time to update my blog, but that doesn't mean I have not been buying more art!  I first saw Richard MacDonald's sculptures over 20 years ago in Las Vegas and I was immediately struck by them.  They have great proportion, balance, and grace.  His mastery of anatomy is incredible.  I always dreamed of owning one and now I have two!  This is a bust of a dancer done in "marble dust".  I found out that Richard imported some marble from Italy to do some sculptures, and used the remaining marble fragments to make these busts.  It's very lovely and graceful, and I'm thrilled to add it to my collection (click for larger image).