This elegant and delicate female bust can be identified as Rachel and attributed to the Bolognese sculptor Democrito Gandolfi, thanks to a comparison with a similar work, signed and dated 1846, made for the collector Enrico Mylius (1769-1854) and still in his residence on lake como, Villa Vigoni at Loveno di Menaggio.
In the Old Testament story, Jacob fell in love with Rachel, the daughter of Laban, and promised Laban that he would serve him for seven years for the right to marry her. However, Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah, Rachel’s older sister; the young man was then forced to work for another seven years for his father-in-law before he could finally marry his beloved as
well.
Our Rachel turns slightly to the left, gazing raptly towards the sky; her head is enveloped in an unusual turban that passes tightly under her chin and falls from the left side of her face. The end of the turban wraps around her very smooth bare neck like a thickly pleated scarf edged with scalloped lace, masterfully reflecting the shifting light. Another virtuoso detail is the hair gathered at the nape into a coiled plait.