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Virgin of Marseille or santibelli* in polychrome and gilded terracotta, representing the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, standing on a base framed by two cherub heads, with its globe, vintage late 19th-early 20th centuries.
This Virgin is in good condition, good quality. It has its globe and its interior decorations.
Note: slight wear on the decorations, gilding and polychromy, see photos.
The “ Santibelli ” are statuettes generally around forty centimeters high . Molded in terracotta , but also in plaster , from Italy , they are painted in very bright colors , sometimes sprinkled with glitter, or gilded with leaf . The origin of the name of these statuettes is difficult to determine: here we evoke a very Marseille nickname which qualifies as " Santibelli " the simpleton on duty , the friendly and not really resourceful fool . There, we imagine that " Santibelli " comes from the cry uttered by the Italian sellers who, according to tradition, peddled these objects: " Santi... Belli... "; like a cry from the street , which in a shorthand would have remained to designate these statuettes sold at auction .
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