Pair Of Terracotta Sculptures

Beautiful pair of nineteenth-century sculptures depicting a pair of dogs in a sitting position. Two rare and unusual terracottas, in the round and precise in detail, depicting two life-sized mastiffs with vaguely anthropomorphic faces. The male is equipped with a square-shaped plinth with the date 1879 and the manufacture "Fabbrica Nenzi in Petraia". Although it is difficult to trace the manufacture, one might think that it was a factory located near Florence, a city with an important terracotta tradition (just think of the factories in Impruneta). La Petraia is also the name of an important Medici villa which is still found today in the hilly area north-west of Florence. The sculptures are perhaps two models designed for possible bronze casting. Objects like these were placed in the gardens or above the entrance gates of important villas and residences.
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