Overall some chipping to surfaces and areas (wings) painted with cold enamel, possibly from early restorations. Some pitting from firing. Hands, jar and proper left arm of the angel pictured to the left were broken and well-repaired. Proper left wing with restored break through lower third, tip, and small part of strap. Restored back left corner of base including edge of drapery. Proper right wing with restored break. Some visible chips to edges and back. Partial loss to strip on back right. Proper left wing of angel pictured on the right with two restored breaks, several patches to lower edge, about 2 1/2 inches long. Two restored breaks to proper right wing. Back right corner of base and edge of drapery restored. Small repaired chip to base of candleholder. Underside of proper right hand including half of the little finger lacking. Well restored, stable and charming.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This charming pair of angels was probably made to stand on an altar or on either side of a tabernacle.

According to communication with Giancarlo Gentilini, these angels are comparable to the sculptures produced in the first quarter of the 16th century when Buglioni no longer relied on the compositions of other major sculptors, like Verrocchio and Antonio Rossellino, but rather had great success with his own inventions. Benedetto's Coronation of the Virgin, circa 1510, on the portal of the Ognissanti, Florence (Gentilini, op. cit., p. 336) includes figures of angels and young saints with similar physiognomy, as do a pair of candelbearing angels made circa 1515/20 in Santa Maria Primarana, Fiesole (Gentilini, op. cit., no. VI.9 a, b). The poses of this pair are more tranquil than those of his earlier works where the drap♈ery is more frenetic. Here, Benedetto's tendency toward simpler forms is apparent.

Benedetto Buglioni was the son of a sculptor and probably the pupil of 🦋Andrea de🅘l Verrocchio. As an assistant to Andrea della Robbia, he learned the secrets to making glazed terracotta sculpture, developed by Andrea's uncle Luca in the early 1440s. In the 1480s, Buglioni became the della Robbia family's direct competitor in Tuscany.

RELATED LITERATURE
G. Gentilini (cur.), I Della Robbia e l'arte nuova della scultura invetriata, Florence 1998, pp. 336 and 352-353