(Milan 1833–1884)
A bust of a Sheikh and his wife, both signed, inscribed Calvi Milano on the base, as well as Calvi Milano Via Daniele Crespi 7 on the marble back of the Sheikh, bronze and marble, dimensions of the Sheikh 53 x 33 x 20 cm, dimensions of his wife 48 x 32 x 20 cm, (GG) 

Compare:
Sale Christie’s New York, 12 April 2007, lot 8.

Pietro Calvi trained at the Academy of Brera in Milan. He was influenced by Giovanni Seleroni, an Italian sculptor (1807-1894) who supported him in his experiments with coloured marble. He carved the statue of St. Valeria for the Milan Cathedral and worked at the Dome of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. 
He was among the Italian artists present at the Milan World’s Fair in 1867, at the Paris Opera Festival in 1870, at the Royal Academy in London in 1872 with a version of his Othello, considered one of the masterpieces of the coloured sculpture tradition, and at the Paris World’s Fair in 1878. 
The present lot is a superb example of the exoticism that pervaded the art scene in the second half of the 19th century. The busts are reminiscent of the work of the famous 19th-century French ethnographic sculptor, Charles Cordier (1827-1905), one of the most renowned sculptors working with coloured marble.