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Sit back and relax in these armchairs and travel to an 18th century Venetian palace !

Circle of Andrea BRUSTOLON (Belluno, 1662 - Belluno, 1732)
‘The Michelangelo of Wood’
A unique pair of armchairs decorated with child musicians and telamons in the round against a naturalistic background

Patinated wood (probably poplar), silk velvet and embroidery
Venice
Early 18th century
H. 102; W. 95; D. 78 cm. (overall)
H. 49.5 cm. (seat)
H. 57 cm. (backrest)
Full study and price upon request.

#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

Our pair of armchairs lies at the intersection of several trends characteristic of late 17th-century Venice: an enduring taste for the exotic, the final flourish of the Baroque, a creative effervescence in the field of sculpture, but also inventive reinterpretations and the gradual adaptation of furniture to the evolving demands of both comfort and representation. From this perspective, the hypothesis that they were commissioned for the music room of a Venetian palace seems particularly plausible: the presence of the musician figures, the theatricality of the structure and the richness of the decoration suggest a space dedicated to aristocratic socialising, where the furniture, much like the musical performance itself, plays a full part in showcasing the patron’s taste and status. These seats, both functional objects and sculpted works, thus encapsulate the Venetian ambition to turn everyday life into a veritable spectacle of refinement, where art, music and social prestige come together in a single sensory experience.

📷 @inu.studio_art

Sit back and relax in these armchairs and travel to an 18th century Venetian palace !

Circle of Andrea BRUSTOLON (Belluno, 1662 - Belluno, 1732)
‘The Michelangelo of Wood’
A unique pair of armchairs decorated with child musicians and telamons in the round against a naturalistic background

Patinated wood (probably poplar), silk velvet and embroidery
Venice
Early 18th century
H. 102; W. 95; D. 78 cm. (overall)
H. 49.5 cm. (seat)
H. 57 cm. (backrest)
Full study and price upon request.

#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

Our pair of armchairs lies at the intersection of several trends characteristic of late 17th-century Venice: an enduring taste for the exotic, the final flourish of the Baroque, a creative effervescence in the field of sculpture, but also inventive reinterpretations and the gradual adaptation of furniture to the evolving demands of both comfort and representation. From this perspective, the hypothesis that they were commissioned for the music room of a Venetian palace seems particularly plausible: the presence of the musician figures, the theatricality of the structure and the richness of the decoration suggest a space dedicated to aristocratic socialising, where the furniture, much like the musical performance itself, plays a full part in showcasing the patron’s taste and status. These seats, both functional objects and sculpted works, thus encapsulate the Venetian ambition to turn everyday life into a veritable spectacle of refinement, where art, music and social prestige come together in a single sensory experience.

📷 @inu.studio_art

Meet the guardians of our Wunderkammer: a Pair of putti in armour, image of the German Renaissance's taste for fantasy and mischief.

Pair of putti in armour
Limewood
Augsburg or Nuremberg
Circa 1520-1550
H. 39 ; H. 39,5 cm.

Full study and price upon request.

#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

Unlike Italian examples, which are characterised by a reserved and controlled expression, less playful than their northern counterparts, similar representations of putti in Germany are primarily characterised by their naturalism and often appear as mischievous as angelic children. Here, our Armored putti were conceived as a pair with strong Mannerist accents, standing in a highly dynamic contrapposto pose with each one arm raised towards the sky. In a playful reinterpretation of classical mythology, the traditional deities are transformed into youthful warrior figures reflecting the German Renaissance's taste for fantasy and mischief: their hands once resting on shields and holding spears, their torsos clad in metal armor engraved with foliage and flowers, their heads adorned with an unusual vegetal headdress discreetly covering their hair... With their princely bearing, richly dressed and protected by shoulder, elbow and knee guards, our figures join the particularly restricted corpus of Putti in armor made of wood and close in style to the art of Hans Schwarz (1492 - after 1521), Hans Peisser (circa 1505 - in 1571) or even Adolph Daucher (1486-1538), whose exceptional series formerly adorning the balustrade of the Fugger Chapel in Augsburg, now in the Bode Museum in Berlin, stands out here as a significant parallel. Rare examples of a type of Northern Renaissance sculpture from the era of Albrecht Dürer, our Pair of Putti in armour is linked in style to the talented and refined schools of Augsburg and Nuremberg, among which its creator undoubtedly figures.

📷 @inu.studio_art

Thank you all for joining us at @tefaf Maastricht
2026 . Our heartfelt gratitude to visitors, collectors, curators and the @tefaf team for this successful edition.

We sincerely appreciate your continued support as we remain committed to sharing and transmitting our passion for Old Master Sculpture.

PRAYING DEACON
Norman chalk
Normandy
Circa 1500-1520
H. 63 ; W. 28 ; D. 40 cm
Provenance :
Nicolas Brimo, Paris. Bought by Joseph Brummer on February 17th, 1928 (New-York). The Brummer collection, 1st auction: April 20-23, 1 949, Parke-Benet Galleries, New York, lot, 764
Bought in France on public sale by Gabriela and Mathieu Sismann, 1997 (Paris). Private collection, Tarascon.
#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

Born of Normandy’s white chalk in the early sixteenth century, this kneeling deacon is one of the finest expressions of late medieval devotional art: a perpetual prayer carved in stone. Passing from the discerning hands of Nicolas Brimo to the legendary Brummer Gallery in Manhattan, cradle of many of the great American collections, the sculpture moved through the twentieth century with an exemplary provenance. Rediscovered in 1997 by Gabriela and Mathieu Sismann, it now returns to their gallery twenty-five years later, for the second time, joining the distinguished lineage of enlightened dealers who, from Brimo to the Brummer brothers, have ensured that the voices of ancient sculpture continue to find refuge with those who still know how to hear them.

We look forward to welcoming you again on our stand at @tefaf and sharing the unique stories of this year's highlights with you.

📍GALERIE SISMANN - Stand 177
#TEFAF Maastricht | 14-19 March 2026
Preview 12 & 13 March by invitation

As you know, we are independant dealers who place research and excellence at the heart of our approach. To bring our newly discovered Old Master Sculptures out of oblivion, we have rigorously acquired them, laboriously studied before attributing, publishing and finally sublimating at Tefaf. It's hard, very solitary work, but infinitely rewarding to share with you all in the end.

This year, we are proud to unveil a masterfully rare sculpted Late Gothic corpus from Southern Germany suspended in an almost choreographic posture...

Our sculpture establishes a physical relationship with the viewer: the body is stretched to the point of instability, as if held between gravity and elevation. Distinguished by a radically expressive treatment inaugurated by Veit Stoss, the work extends the legacy of the Master in its extreme elongation and dramatic force,narrow, deeply hollowed torso, musculature stretched to its limits, long and nervous legs, and the restrained perizonium that emphasizes the purity of the silhouette.

CORPUS
Limewood
Southern Germany
Second quarter of the 16th century
H. 62 ; W. 14,5 cm
#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

📷 @inu.studio_art

We look forward to welcoming you again on our stand at @tefaf and sharing the unique stories of this year's highlights with you.

📍GALERIE SISMANN - Stand 177
#TEFAF Maastricht | 14-19 March 2026
Preview 12 & 13 March by invitation

As you know, we are independant dealers who place research and excellence at the heart of our approach. To bring our newly discovered Old Master Sculptures out of oblivion, we have rigorously acquired them, laboriously studied before attributing, publishing and finally sublimating at Tefaf. It's hard, very solitary work, but infinitely rewarding to share with you all in the end.

This year, we are particularly proud to present an
unpublished half-bust of a philosopher by Venetian 17th century sculptor Marino Gropelli captured in a thoughtful gaze, lips slightly parted as if about to speak...

The sculpted effigy in our marble belongs to that vast array of imaginary portraits of philosophers, which primarily evoked - especially in relation to the theme of Vanitas - the futility of earthly things and the precariousness of terrestrial existence. In certain contexts, these works also symbolized "libertas philosophandi", in opposition to the improper use of auctoritas by the Catholic Church. Their presence, as attested by the inventories of collections, was particularly frequent in art collections between the 17th and 18th centuries, to the point of becoming, through a mechanism of emulation, a fashionable subject.

MARINO GROPPELLI
(Venice, 1662 – Venice, 1728)
Bust of a philosopher
Carrara marble
Venice
Circa 1700
H. 42 ; W. 35 ; D. 19 cm ( without base)
#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

📷 @inu.studio_art

We look forward to welcoming you again on our stand at @tefaf and sharing the unique stories of this year's highlights with you.

📍GALERIE SISMANN - Stand 177
#TEFAF Maastricht | 14-19 March 2026
Preview 12 & 13 March by invitation

As you know, we are independant dealers who place research and excellence at the heart of our approach. To bring our newly discovered Old Master Sculptures out of oblivion, we have rigorously acquired them, laboriously studied before attributing, publishing and finally sublimating at Tefaf. It's hard, very solitary work, but infinitely rewarding to share with you all in the end.

This year, we are particularly moved to present this intense terracotta sculpture of Mary Magdalena by Benedetto da Maiano, one of the greatest sculptors of the Italian Renaissance...

Originally part of a four figure "Lamentation" group in the church of Santa Maria Nipotecosa in Florence - commissioned in 1480 by a wealthy wool merchant - this stunning sculpture isan extremely rare work from the Master on the Art Market.
Renowned for the aesthetic quality of his works and the importance of his patrons, Benedetto da Maiano (1442–1497) is one of the most significant Italian sculptors of the 15th
century. As a teacher of Michelangelo, he paved the way for High Renaissance sculpture. Thus, our Mary Magdalene stands among the works that, at the end of the Quattrocento, redefined Italian sculpture.

BENEDETTO DA MAIANO (Maiano 1442- Florence 1497)
MARY MAGDALENE
Polychrome terracotta
Florence (formerly part of the Altar of the Pièta
in the church of Santa Maria Nipotecosa)
Circa 1485-88
H. 80 ; W. 48.5 ; D. 32 cm
#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

📷 @inu.studio_art

We look forward to welcoming you again on our stand at @tefaf and sharing the unique stories of this year's highlights with you.

📍GALERIE SISMANN - Stand 177
#TEFAF Maastricht | 14-19 March 2026
Preview 12 & 13 March by invitation

As you know, we are independant dealers who place research and excellence at the heart of our approach. To bring our newly discovered Old Master Sculptures out of oblivion, we have rigorously acquired them, laboriously studied before attributing, publishing and finally sublimating at Tefaf. It's hard, very solitary work, but infinitely rewarding to share with you all in the end.

This year, we are particularly proud to present this Melancholic deacon.French Medieval Art reaches a peak of sensitivity in this rare Apremont limestone sculpture from the late fifteenth-century...

The young tonsured cleric, holding his book and brushing his cheek with a measured gesture, expresses not violent pain but an inner melancholy of deep spiritual resonance. This posture, inherited from antiquity and reinterpreted in the Middle Ages, evokes the "TRISTIA SECUNDUM DEUM ", a form of sorrow that elevates the soul.Through its silent intensity, it offered medieval viewers—and still offers us today—a model of emotional accuracy, one that turns the heart toward reflection on divine mysteries. It guides the gaze and the emotions, teaching how to feel. In the inclined face and the hand resting against the cheek emerges an exemplary attitude, a perfect balance between human sorrow and spiritual dignity. 

MELANCHOLIC DEACON
Limestone from Apremont
Center of France
Late 15th century
H. 122 ; W. 45 ; D. 30 cm
H. 88 ; W. 35; D. 31cm
#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

📷 @inu.studio_art

•
We look forward to welcoming you again on our stand at @tefaf and sharing the unique stories of this year's highlights with you.

📍GALERIE SISMANN - Stand 177
#TEFAF Maastricht | 14-19 March 2026
Preview 12 & 13 March by invitation

As you know, we are independant dealers who place research and excellence at the heart of our approach. To bring our newly discovered Old Master Sculptures out of oblivion, we have rigorously acquired them, laboriously studied before attributing, publishing and finally sublimating at Tefaf. It's hard, very solitary work, but infinitely rewarding to share with you all in the end.

This year, we are particularly proud to unveil a miraculously preserved Romanesque Virgin in Majesty, a unique sculpture that appears in the Art Market once in a lifetime...

Carved in wood, a fragile material of which few examples survive, it embodies the Sedes Sapientiaie iconography: Mary, the living throne of Divine Wisdom, supports the Christ Child in a gesture that symbolizes both the power and the stability of faith. Although the Child is now lost, the sculpture’s structure and monumental presence continue to captivate. The crown and short veil framing Mary’s face emphasize her Regina Caeli status, portraying her as a cosmic and spiritual sovereign.
Designed as an object of devotion and veneration, this Virgin was not merely to be admired: she actively participated in the liturgical and spiritual life of her time, likely carried in processions according to traditional practice. Her rarity, stylistic perfection, and refined elegance make her today an absolute jewel of Romanesque sculpture.

SEDES SAPIENTIAIE
Polychromed and gilded walnut
Northwestern Spain (Leon)
12th century
H. 88 ; W. 35; D. 31cm
#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers #oldmastersculpture

📷 @inu.stu

#tefaf #teaser
Once again this year, we are delighted to announce our participation in @tefaf where we will be revealing our most important discoveries of the year !

March 14-19, 2025
PreviewMarch 12 & 13 upon invitation only

Melancholic Deacon (Saint Stephen?)
Limestone from Apremont
Center of France
Late 15th century
H. 122 ; W. 42 cm
Full entry and price available upon request

The young tonsured cleric, holding his book and brushing his cheek with a measured gesture, expresses not violent pain but an inner melancholy of deep spiritual resonance. This posture, inherited from Antiquity and reinterpreted in the Middle Ages, evokes the tristitia secundum Deum, a form of sorrow that elevates the soul. Oscillating between the ideal image of a meditative cleric and a possible evocation of Saint Stephen before his martyrdom, the work brings together a rich iconography in which contemplation, affliction, and spiritual hope intertwine. Through its restraint and silent intensity, it offered Medieval viewers - and still offers us today - a model of accurate emotion, one that turns the heart toward reflection on divine mysteries. It guides the gaze and the emotions, teaching how to feel. In the inclined face and the hand resting against the cheek emerges an exemplary attitude, a perfect balance between human sorrow and spiritual dignity.

#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers

📷 @inu.studio_art

#teaser #tefaf
Once again this year, we are delighted to announce our participation in @tefaf where we will be revealing our most important discoveries of the year !

March 14-19, 2025
PreviewMarch 12 & 13 upon invitation only

Nursing Virgin (Virgo Lactans)
Alabaster
England
Circa 1350-1375
H. 61; W. 16; D. 10 cm
Full entry and price available upon request

This alabaster Virgin and Child is striking for its overwhelming presence: the softness of the face, the balance of the posture, and the preciousness of the material combine to create an image of rare intensity, almost intact despite its nearly seven centuries of existence. That such a work has survived in this condition is already exceptional. But the fact that it belongs to the very first generation of English alabaster Virgins, a corpus reduced to only about fifteen examples for the entire 14th century, gives this sculpture major historical importance. It stands at the very origins of an artistic tradition that was to become one of the most influential in medieval Europe.
Since the 1330s, England has developed a unique relationship with alabaster. Nowhere else in Europe is this material worked with such consistency and inventiveness. The 15th century saw the emergence of abundant production of figures, altarpieces and tombs, intended for a vast export market, but for the 14th century, examples remain rare, often damaged, and make it difficult to gauge the emergence of this sculptural language.It is precisely in this grey area that our work takes on a decisive role. Due to its early dating to around 1350-1375, its remarkable state of preservation and the exceptional quality of its craftsmanship, it offers an essential milestone for understanding the beginnings of English alabaster sculpture.

#galeriesismann #arthistorians #artdealers

📷 @inu.studio_art

#tefaf #teaser
SAVE THE DATE !
Once again this year, we are delighted to announce our participation in @tefaf where we will be revealing our most important discoveries of the year !

March 14-19, 2025
PreviewMarch 12 & 13 upon invitation only

Christ
Oak
Île-de-France (Paris)
Circa 1275-1300
H. 37 ( 14 9⁄16 in ) ; W. 11 cm ( 4 21⁄64 in )
#galeriesismann

At the turn of the 14th century, Paris stood out as a major artistic center, nourished by the presence of the royal court, the University and a network of prestigious patrons. Among the most representative works of this period, luxurious wood and ivory sculptures, designed for private devotion, stand out for their finesse and technicality. This beautiful Christ is a
perfect demonstration. Comparable by its anatomical realism, its features marked by pain and dignity, and by the refinement of its perizonium and its hair to the greatest masterpieces of Parisian ivory and goldsmithing produced around 1275-1300, it offers amateurs a rare and precious testimony to a production of luxurious small woods implemented in Parisian workshops during the reign of Philip the Fair, of which so few examples have reached us today...

📷 @inu.studio_art

✨✨✨The gallery will be open by appointment only from December 22 to January 5. May this holiday season bring you joy, peace, and moments of beauty. We look forward to welcoming you in the New Year. ✨✨✨

Virgin and Child
Limestone
Toul workshop (Lorraine)
Circa 1330-1340
H. 87 cm.
Provenance : London, Sotheby's, 29 March 1979 / Former Manfred Bumiller Collection
#galeriesismann
Full entry and price upon request.

#galeriesismann #oldmasters #arthistorians #artdealers

📷@inu.studio_art

✨✨✨The gallery will be open by appointment only from December 22 to January 5. May this holiday season bring you joy, peace, and moments of beauty. We look forward to welcoming you in the New Year. ✨✨✨

Virgin and Child
Limestone
Toul workshop (Lorraine)
Circa 1330-1340
H. 87 cm.
Provenance : London, Sotheby's, 29 March 1979 / Former Manfred Bumiller Collection
#galeriesismann
Full entry and price upon request.

#galeriesismann #oldmasters #arthistorians #artdealers

📷@inu.studio_art