Object Description
Of mid brown patina with gilt highlights, the figures each signed ‘A. Garella’ and dated ‘1887’, and with the foundry inscription ‘Flli Galli / Firenze’, Desdemona also inscribed ‘Propriet… F[…] Lapini’.
The two busts depicting protagonists from William Shakespeare’s famous play, ‘Othello’. In this, the courageous Venetian soldier Othello elopes with the beautiful Desdemona, a noblewoman many years his junior. When Othello is later tricked into believing Desdemona has been unfaithful, he murders his loving wife, only to later discover her innocence. Wracked with guilt and regret, Othello then takes his own life. This unique pair of busts depicts Othello and Desdemona as tender companions, unaware of the tragedy that will befall them.
Male bust: height 92 cm; width 70 cm; depth 55 cm
Female bust: height 88 cm, width 60 cm; depth 40 cm Pedestal heights: 151 cm