Metal Relief Plate Wall Hanging of Saint Helena by Desiderio da Settignano

This antique relief reproduction portrait of Saint Helena is early 1900s and is comprised of metal mounted on wood. I suspect the metal is bronze, but I cannot be certain.

The Toledo Museum of Art writes about the artwork:

Displayed again after many decades off view, this low relief profile bust of a woman was acquired by the Museum in 1938 as a work by the renowned 15th-century Florentine sculptor Desiderio da Settignano. In the 1800s it was considered a masterpiece by the even more famous Donatello, but by the mid-20th century had been demoted to the rank of a late 19th-century imitation—in short, a forgery.

Recent scholarship has now “rehabilitated” the sculpture as a work of art from the Renaissance. Many factors have contributed to the reassessment of this object. Most importantly, it is now documented that the relief was in the possession of Englishman Samuel Woodburn, who obtained it in Italy by the early 1840s, long before forgeries of Renaissance sculpture became popular. Secondly, the sculpture was carved from pietra serena, a soft stone that did not permit the same refinement of execution as marble, which was more commonly utilized by Desiderio and his circle. Pietra serena is more susceptible to damage from over-zealous cleaning, as the Toledo relief experienced at some point prior to 1913. These issues have clouded objective assessment of the sculpture, but art historians have recently studied it anew.

It is now generally regarded as 15th-century Florentine, with some scholars asserting, again, that it is from the hand of Desiderio himself. The subject of the relief, too, has been revisited. Once variously thought to represent the Virgin Mary, Saint Catherine, or Saint Cecilia, the figure, crowned with both a diadem and a halo, is now identified as Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine who was an influential early convert to Christianity.

The metal relief is 5.5" x 3 ⅞" and the entire piece measures 7" x 5.5". There is a hook by which to hang the work.

Purchased from Italy.

*****Condition: Please read the description carefully and examine the photos closely for a most accurate accounting of the piece's condition. If you need more photos, please ask and I'll be happy to oblige. The metal plate has wear in the form of bowing, scratches to the surface, and a crack in the upper left corner (to the right of the nail). The scratches are most noticeable on the neck, behind the ear, and on the gown. There is some verdigris to the piece as well. The wood upon which the plate is mounted is worn and scratched on the front and reverse. The piece is anchored by four very small nails in each of the four corners.

Thank you for looking.