A Continental bronze allegorical model of a maiden, probably personifying Abundance or Autumn, 17th century

A Continental bronze allegorical model of a maiden, probably personifying Abundance or Autumn, 17th century, French or Italian, the maiden standing and fully draped, holding a writhen cornucopia in her right hand, and raising a further fragmentary attribute, possibly wheat sheaves, with her left, on an integral chased circular base and mounted to a further marmo nero Belgio plinth, the bronze 18.5cm high, overall height 31cm

A very similar example of this rare model appeared at Chiswick Auctions, December 2016, which had been in the collection of Dr Charles Avery, former keeper of Sculpture at the V&A. It was there described as circle of Barthelemy Prieur, late 16th/early 17th century. The sculpture certainly shares similarities with some of Prieur's oeuvre, such as the figure of Abundance by Prieur from the monument to Anne de Montmorency, though parallels with later 17th century bronzes can also be found. Note for example the Italian statuette of a Goddess after the Antique in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 24.212.25, which shows a maiden with similar hairstyle and equally abundant drapery.

Condition Report:
The bronze bears the usual very minor marks, knocks and scuffs overall commensurate with age. The patina is quite an even mid-brown overall, with some texture (brush marks?), indicating that it was possibly refreshed at one point. There is a section of reddish colour to the rear, by the hair, slightly recessed, which is likely an old repair. The object in the maiden's left hand does not have a top section and may have been broken, and there is some repair to this hand including a small square restored section. The bronze is fixed to the base using a reddish substance which is visible underneath. The base itself is chipped to the edges, most significantly to the lowermost corners.