Cesare Lapini (1848 – C. 1890) - Surprise!

Cesare Lapini “Surprise! » (1848 – c. 1890)
Alabaster Marble base 55x28cm (excluding base)
Signed « Fratelli Lapini-1880, Firenze »
The Fratelli Lapini gallery was active from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century in Florence » Born in Florence, Cesare Lapini mainly sculpts female figures, children but also deals with religious and mythological subjects. We know that Cesare Lapini and his brothers had a gallery in Florence active in the last decade of the 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century. This work in alabaster, signed and dated (“Fratelli Lapini-1880, Firenze”) echoes the bather (In riva al mare, 1891), a marble sculpture kept at the Piscine; the museum of art and industry of Roubaix. The strong resemblance of the facial features leads us to think that it is the same model. In the work we are presenting, the young woman gracefully removes a Venetian mask with her fingertips, revealing her radiant and mischievous face.

Photo of the sculpture In Riva de Mare, 1891 attached.