290-year-old Italian Marble Maquette Purchased from Salvage Yard

A marble sculpture bought at a reclamation yard for £300 is expected to fetch as much as £100,000 at auction after being identified as the work of a celebrated Italian master sculptor. The 290-year-old Italian marble maquette, depicting Pope Clement XII Corsini, was discovered by a keen-eyed builder at a salvage yard in Wiltshire, England, who suspected the piece might be special, and his modest gamble is now set to yield a significant return.

The work, which stands 26 inches (just over two foot) tall, was produced by Italian Baroque master Pietro Bracci, who is famous for sculpting the central figure of Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain. He sculpted the Pope maquette as a preparatory model for a monumental bronze figure that once stood in the Great Hall of the Palazzo Nuovo on Rome's Capitoline. Because the original statue no longer exists, this piece is believed to be the only surviving maquette, making it both important and rare.