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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 cherubs, in front of them a shell, with its globe, vintage late 19th-early 20th centuries .
This Virgin is in good general condition. It is very decorative. Paper or fabric decorations may be missing.
Note: slit in the right arm of the Virgin, the neck and orb of the child Jesus have been glued back together (see red arrows), wear and tear particularly on the decorations, 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 pin down: 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 .
