A 68cm (27in) maquette of Pope Clement XII attributed to Pietro Bracci — the sculptor behind the Trevi Fountain figures — was found in a Wiltshire reclamation yard after being offered for £300. The lichen‑covered model, likely a nearly 300‑year‑old preparatory model for a full‑size bronze that was melted down in 1798, will be auctioned by Woolley & Wallis on 8 October with an estimate of £5,000–£10,000. Auctioneer Mark Yuan‑Richards described the discovery as "exceptionally exciting" and said the piece deserves a museum home.
Lost Pietro Bracci Maquette Found in UK Salvage Yard — 300‑Year‑Old Model to Be Auctioned
The marble sculpture was bought at a Wiltshire reclamation yard for £300 [Woolley and Wallis]
A 68cm (27in) maquette of Pope Clement XII attributed to Pietro Bracci — the Italian sculptor best known for the central figures of Rome's Trevi Fountain — has been unearthed in a Wiltshire reclamation yard after reportedly being offered for just £300.
The small model, described by the Salisbury auction house as stained, marked and encrusted with lichen, was identified by a collector among items at the salvage site. Auctioneer Mark Yuan‑Richards of Woolley & Wallis said the piece appears to have been left in a garden in Andover, Hampshire, for many years.
Rare Survivor of a Lost Monument
Bracci is believed to have created the maquette nearly 300 years ago as a preparatory model for a full‑size bronze that once stood in the Great Hall of the Palazzo Nuovo on Rome's Capitoline Hill. That monumental bronze was melted down and lost in 1798, and until this discovery the only visual record was an engraving.
Italian sculptor Pietro Bracci is best known for the monumental figures at the centre of the Trevi Fountain in Rome [Getty Images]
"Things like this never come up on the open market. The last time one did, it made £170,000 but who knows what this will make," said Yuan‑Richards, calling the find "exceptionally exciting" and saying it "really deserves to be in a museum."
Although the maquette should originally have been carved in white marble, surface weathering and heavy encrustation currently make it resemble rough stone or concrete. Conservation specialists will need to examine it to confirm its material and condition.
An "eagle‑eyed" collector brought the maquette to the auctioneers' attention; the seller has chosen to remain anonymous. The lot is consigned to Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury and is estimated to fetch between £5,000 and £10,000 when it goes under the hammer on 8 October.
Questions Remain
How the maquette travelled from Rome (or from a later owner) to an English garden remains unclear. Yuan‑Richards reflected: "If only these things could tell us their stories." Experts and museums may now evaluate whether the piece should enter public hands.
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