Crucifix - Ivory - 1700-1750 - Cristo Dieppe

French Dieppe School, second half of the 18th century. Attributed to the workshop or circle of Jean-Antoine Belleteste (1731–1811).

Exceptional and very beautiful freestanding sculpture in carved ivory depicting Christ crucified. The piece stands as a superb testament to the Golden Age of the Dieppe workshops during the 18th century, the nerve center and most prestigious hub for ivory carving in Europe.

With an imposing height of 28 cm, in a notably generous format that denotes an aristocratic or private devotional commission of the highest rank, the work stands out for its anatomically modeled form with impeccable academicism. The elongated torso, with softly suggested musculature and a subtly marked rib cage, avoids the expressionistic drama of other contemporary schools to embrace the elegance and formal refinement typical of French courtly taste.

The face, of serene and idealized pathos, shows the mouth slightly ajar, with a skillfully carved set of teeth perceptible. The virtuosity is evident in the pierced impawned beard and the strands of hair that fall naturally to the shoulders.

The veil of purity (perizonium) is the definitive element that elevates the quality of this lot. Knotting masterfully on the right flank, it generates a drapery of fluid, diaphanous, and dynamic folds that fall diagonally, revealing the left thigh.

This balance between Rococo dynamism and classical restraint is the hallmark of Belleteste's workshop from the 1760s.

Part of the phalanx of the right-hand finger is missing.

To safeguard the integrity of the piece, it will be sent with the arms disassembled.