Bust of a Woman

Portraiture broadened considerably during the late Baroque period. Complementary to the imaginary portraits of anti-heroic types was the celebration of ideal beauty in female busts loosely based upon Classical prototypes. These were often commissioned to adorn palace interiors and are related to garden sculpture in that they strike Classical poses without being specifically related to a given prototype. The bust by Piamontini on the staircase of Palazzo Pitti in Florence epitomize this trend: their heads are vaguely Classical but their drapery retains a flicker of Baroque agitation.