attributed to Antonio Abondio (Milan 1538–1591?)
Medallic artist and sculptor. Pupil of Leone Leoni. From c. 1566 active at the court of the Habsburgs in Prague, Vienna and Spain. Ennobled by Emperor Rudolf II. He was famed for his numerous medals and small portraits made in coloured wax.

The bust was attributed to Antonio Abondio, known above all as a medallic artist and the author of numerous relief portraits made in coloured wax—of the type that became popular in Italy in the 1520s.
A bronze bust of Christ (12.5 cm high) which closely resembles the one under discussion, housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, was identified as a work by an unidentified artist from the early 17th century. Another similar sculpture was put to auction at Bonhams in London (auction of 1 July 2008) with the attribution: Italy, early 17th century. The bust of Christ in the collections of the Ciechanowiecki Foundation, however, has many features that are missing in the Victoria and Albert Museum copy. The Royal Castle sculpture is far more softly modelled; the hair, the facial hair and robes are arranged more naturally. Not only are the model’s facial features rendered in line with anatomy but also with a visible lightness that is missing in the London bust. Furthermore, the Warsaw sculpture is more precisely chiselled, which helps bring out all the details and adds realism to the likeness.
To my mind, the above features clearly indicate that the bust in the collections of the Ciechanowiecki Foundation was made by an artist with considerable experience in making small-scale likenesses and substantiates the hypothesis regarding Abondio’s authorship.

[Artur Badach]