An interesting carved marble fragment depicting seven putto heads, with reputed provenance to old St Paul's Cathedral In the Baroque style, probably late 17th century or early 18th century Perhaps originally forming part of a capital or a font, the heads emerging from swirling clouds, the five centrally placed heads modelled in high relief, the central head some flanked by wings, the two remaining heads to either sides modelled in shallow relief, the upper section with remnants of an iron spigot, the whole mounted on an associated rusticated domed base, 74cm high, 76cm wide, 40cm deep Footnotes: The reputed association of the present lot to old St. Paul's Cathedral reflects the early Baroque interventions made to the medieval structure prior to its destruction in the Great Fire of London in 1666. During the 1630s, the prominent English sculptor and Master Mason Nicholas Stone (1586-1647) worked extensively at the cathedral alongside the architect Inigo Jones, introducing continental Baroque inspired elements to the historic interior. Whilst a connection to Stone's workshop is historically possible, the specific iconography of the fragment suggests a later origin. The putto's head, particularly when combined with swirling clouds, is a definitive motif of high Baroque ecclesiastical design. These elements only became widely popular in British church architecture during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, most notably during the post-Restoration rebuilding of new St. Paul's Cathedral by Sir Christopher Wren and his contemporaries. Consequently, although the traditionally reputed provenance does historically align with the introduction of the Baroque style to London, and specifically with the work undertaken by Stone on the interiors of Old St Paul's, it might instead be interpreted as a romanticised fiction, given that a date in the late 17th or early 18th century is stylistically more plausible. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TP TP For auctions held in Scotland: Please refer to the catalogue and/or after-sale information or contact Edinburgh@Bonhams.com for more information. For all other auctions: Lots will be moved to an offsite storage location (The Packengers, Unit 9, Abbey Mead Industrial Park, Brooker Road, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1HU, England, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue and/or after-sale information, sent out to all buyers post-sale. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 10 calendar days from the auction date. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing