Mask of a Young Woman
by LAURANA, Francesco, Marble, 29 x 15 x 13 cm
The Dalmatian-born sculptor was active in Naples, Sicily and France. Ten known female masks with downcast eyes were probably produced by him and his shop in southern France about 1475. All have a similarity to portrait busts by him but the function of the masks remains controversial. Some argue that they were made for tomb effigies, others that they formed a wall decoration.