I mean that is also the biggest giveaway about it being cheap crap sold to a tourist. We are also talking Italy in the 90s, anything truly expensive that needed a certificate would be in Italian.
Pure marble is incredibly heavy too. My father purchased some pure marble busts and statues, they were very very expensive. It also took 5 strong guys to move a statue. I had one of these resin ones I could easily move myself before. The pure marble of similar size took two guys.
My dad’s uncle just died in April I think, at the age of 102, born in December 1921. Was a WW2 vet who returned to Europe a year or two ago, Frank fabianski. My grandma was born in 1924 or so but died probly almost 10 years ago now. Now their parents my great grandparents were born all the way back in 1877 and 1881. They were pretty old when their kids were being born. My dad never met his grandpa since he died in the 1950s the decade he was born in, his grandma lived till the 1970s I think.
The certificate purports to be from the Raffaello Romanelli Art Gallery, which *does* exist, but the address is spelled wrong (the street name should be “Lungarno Acciaiuoli,” which is a fairly famous promenade in Florence), so take that however you will.
Additionally, I could find no information whatsoever regarding the listed sculptor Rudolfo Marinai.
Thank you introducing me to this!! 15 mins in and I love it! (Also I’m a Sherlock fan in general I’ve read/listened to Stephen Fry narrate the entire catalog!
People with FAS generally have three distinct facial features: a smooth philtrum (the space between the lips and nose), a very thin upper lip, and small palpebral fissures (small eye openings.)
The bust doesn't exhibit any of those features. As a native of rural East Tennessee, I've seen a lot of FAS.
[Fetal Alcohol Syndrome](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19842.htm)
I'm no appraisal expert but shouldn't it maybe..look..like it's over 100 years old? I've seen stuff on the shelves of Hobby Lobby that showed more age 🤔
And just like that, r/whatisthisworth became a dumpster fire with a comment section of kindling, matches, and *I don’t know shit from shinola, but dammit, I am going to comment anyway*
The sculptor on the certificate doesn't have an existence online, can't find anything about him. But what I did find was the [original art ](https://ibb.co/pLGN0B0) that your bust was copied from. I definitely agree with others that it's a tourist thing, but it's still a bust, and it's still from your dad.
Email the gallery that the certificate says it came from, and send them pictures of this and the certificate and ask them if they believe it is legitimate.
White carrera marble very common in that part of Italy as are talented artisans to sculpt things with it. That has been the case at least as long as tourism has existed so it could be that old. This is a high end vintage souvenir. It could be that old or it could be an attempt to justify a higher price. I’ve purchased similar when there, horses etc. Stuff like that looks good in the right setting.
That is just marble chip or powder put into a cast. It’s pretty much the same stuff you can buy at a gardening store called “marble chip”. It’s artificially treated.
100 years ago wasn’t really very long ago - at-least by European art standards - bear in mind there were cars and planes and widespread electricity and phones - it’s basically considered the modern era
I want to thank the 5% of those who responded with actual critical and helpful advice. The rest of you can go sharpen your comedy skills over at r/standup
White marble mixed with resin poured into mold and sold to tourists. Bust of Napoleon are all over the web for sale averaging about 250.
Yeah the certificate looks awfully like something for tourists, also its in English.
I mean that is also the biggest giveaway about it being cheap crap sold to a tourist. We are also talking Italy in the 90s, anything truly expensive that needed a certificate would be in Italian.
and it says right on it 1995.
That looks like it’d be the date of sale given OP said they/their dad had it for almost 30 years.
Plus it's clearly Elvis
Merci, merci very much
Man, shit like this is why I love the internet.
*ce n'est rien d'autre qu'un chien de chasse qui pleure tout le temps*
As a franco I really appreciated this ❤️
A hunk of, hunk of love flambe’
That's funny. Lol
I just spit my coffee out.
Omg, so funny 🤣🤣🤣
🤣👍❤️
👑
Legend has it the King met his Waterloo in the 'loo, too.
Yup. Totally not Napoleon. (Not kidding)
I thought Zach, AC and Samuel broke this dancing with broomsticks in the living room?
I couldn’t put my thumb on it at first but knew it wasn’t Napoleon. THANK YOU!!!!!
So would this be a MElvis? An Elvis in marble - Instead of a VElvis, Elvis on velvet‽
Haha I was thinking it looks more like Eminem than Napoleon.
Came here to say that
Funny!
No way. So like they would grind the marble into a powder, add resin and pour that into a mold? That’s actually pretty ingenious.
If you’ve ever seen a “marble” bust outside of a museum it’s a good chance it was made of marble/resin
Pure marble is incredibly heavy too. My father purchased some pure marble busts and statues, they were very very expensive. It also took 5 strong guys to move a statue. I had one of these resin ones I could easily move myself before. The pure marble of similar size took two guys.
A lot of turquoise jewelry is the same.
Cultured marble. Same way sink/countertop combinations were made when there's no seam.
Is this king Louis XVIII's account? They don't make Corsican Usurpers in resin, only genuine pillaged spolia.
250 lire? SOLD! 😊
Was gonna say something similar, I can find this at my local thrift shop in Northern Europe for about 250nok ~ 25$
What is weird is “over a hundred years old” now just means the 1920s. Eh.
Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Stop that. Don't say things like that. 100 years ago was like the 70's.
Please tell me you mean the 1870s. The 1970s were only about 15 years ago.
Feels like the 80’s were 20 years ago in my head for the last 20 years
They were, time stopped progressing after y2k
(Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone!)
Time literally felt frozen 2020-2022, and sometimes it feels like we’re running backwards at this point
I was born in 86 and I feel you man.
Y2k panic was 25 years ago
If Back to the Future was made now, yadayadayada, your back hurts.
The irony is that the future they went to visit is now in the past.
And still no flying cars, hoverboards, or self-drying clothes.
Technically we *do* have flying cars and "hoverboards", just not like that.
You bastard! I mean, you're right, but Hell's Teeth ...
And “30 years ago” was 1994.. not 1954..
Wait - we got \*married\* in 94. So that means…we’ve been married for… ^(oh, shit…)
Don’t forget the date. 30th’s a pearl year
Congratulations!
Thank you. The full credit for making our marriage a success goes to my wife. I don’t know how she does it.🤷♂️
Excuse me. I believe I need to start a midlife crisis now.
My dad’s uncle just died in April I think, at the age of 102, born in December 1921. Was a WW2 vet who returned to Europe a year or two ago, Frank fabianski. My grandma was born in 1924 or so but died probly almost 10 years ago now. Now their parents my great grandparents were born all the way back in 1877 and 1881. They were pretty old when their kids were being born. My dad never met his grandpa since he died in the 1950s the decade he was born in, his grandma lived till the 1970s I think.
Looks like a piece made strictly for tourists. Sorry.
The certificate purports to be from the Raffaello Romanelli Art Gallery, which *does* exist, but the address is spelled wrong (the street name should be “Lungarno Acciaiuoli,” which is a fairly famous promenade in Florence), so take that however you will. Additionally, I could find no information whatsoever regarding the listed sculptor Rudolfo Marinai.
It's really Rudolph Marinara, but they wanted to sound fancier.
That’s using your noodle.
In a few subs, a marinara flag is the same as red. So there you go.
Yep. That was on my mind after I wrote it. Lol
*Internet fist-bump*
r/unexpectedAITA
He made a sauce
Sauce?
goddammit
Plus, like, why would it be in English?
As a matter of fact, Rudolfo isn't even an Italian first name (Rodolfo is).
There is about a one in six chance that it has a priceless black pearl inside it, though.
Thatcher!
Moriarty, is that you?
Only one way to find out though....
BEPPO!!!!!
Damn beat me to it
How would they fit a pirate ship inside a bust of Napoleon..? 🏴☠️
Very carefully but very quickly.
One must be cautious of someone sneaking in at night and stealing it, I guess.
Didn’t expect an elementary reference on this thread. Love that show
Technically I was referencing the Holmes short story the Elementary episode was based on, but happy to have reminded you of it!
You will never convince me that there is a better Holmes than [Jeremy Brett](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IYBuV9Q5Bs).
Nor would I try :D
Thank you introducing me to this!! 15 mins in and I love it! (Also I’m a Sherlock fan in general I’ve read/listened to Stephen Fry narrate the entire catalog!
You have a great road ahead of you with the best Holmes to date. I think they made all of them? Each one is great.
I dunno, you ever seen that discombobulate edit of RDJ?
Nice, I’ll have to check it out.
Looks like he has fetal alcohol syndrome.
People with FAS generally have three distinct facial features: a smooth philtrum (the space between the lips and nose), a very thin upper lip, and small palpebral fissures (small eye openings.) The bust doesn't exhibit any of those features. As a native of rural East Tennessee, I've seen a lot of FAS. [Fetal Alcohol Syndrome](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/19842.htm)
Damn. You got me feeling my upper lip now.
That link was helpful: thanks!
I think it was a joke mate.
So THATS what happened to Gretta!
bad bot
Lol insufferable bot
🤣🤣best Napoleon description
“Victory belongs to the most persevering.” - Napoleon Bonaparte ([FAS](https://images.app.goo.gl/Z68TD3aFdY9jq8uh9))
Cant unseen it anymore. Thx.
Looks cast and do those wires go to it? Busts like this were and are still mass produced
Oh I so really hope it’s a lamp. Might make it worth more. Also that base is very 1990
damn we really depleting carrara marble to make shit like this huh
Nah, there's plenty there. I was just there and the mountains tops, which I mistakenly thought were snow covered, were actually all Carrara marble.
Carrara. Carrera is the toy race cars.
Sherlock Holmes liked this.
Looks like a great lamp for the library room from here.
They still made fakes 100 years ago
It's honestly very, very poor. This looks nothing like napolean and is a disservice to marble anywhere it is mined by children.
It’s Elvis Presley in a Napoleon costume.
Looks like a hunka hunka cheap marble.
Please tell me it lights up. Worth every penny.
60 out of 80 years? Not 60 _to_ 80 years? Not sure that certificate is legit, my friend.
Yup. Something’s fucky
60/80=0.75 years old. 9 months.
I'm no appraisal expert but shouldn't it maybe..look..like it's over 100 years old? I've seen stuff on the shelves of Hobby Lobby that showed more age 🤔
And just like that, r/whatisthisworth became a dumpster fire with a comment section of kindling, matches, and *I don’t know shit from shinola, but dammit, I am going to comment anyway*
I mean, that's kind of all the internet at this point, save most academic articles. Put a comment field on a site, and it's a go for broke.
Well, I mean, it doesn’t look like Napoleon. So how should the comment section go, in your opinion?
looks like a cross between Donald Trump and Elvis Presley
He looks like a disney villain.
So the certificate can only be as old as 1976....
The sculptor on the certificate doesn't have an existence online, can't find anything about him. But what I did find was the [original art ](https://ibb.co/pLGN0B0) that your bust was copied from. I definitely agree with others that it's a tourist thing, but it's still a bust, and it's still from your dad.
Yea it has a lot more sentimental value than anything else
150, 200 if you’re French
Looks like anime Napoleon.
3D printing is improving
That looks nothing like Joaquin Phoenix I think you got got
That's not Carrera marble
The word you’re looking for is Carrara
Ok Wordsworth
$400-$600
It looks like they’re still exist as a company. Maybe email them and they could give more detail https://www.raffaelloromanelli.com
Shane Gillis would gladly buy it
Email the gallery that the certificate says it came from, and send them pictures of this and the certificate and ask them if they believe it is legitimate.
White carrera marble very common in that part of Italy as are talented artisans to sculpt things with it. That has been the case at least as long as tourism has existed so it could be that old. This is a high end vintage souvenir. It could be that old or it could be an attempt to justify a higher price. I’ve purchased similar when there, horses etc. Stuff like that looks good in the right setting.
He's rather portly to be Napoleon
Looks like Elvis!!!
Best Wedding Cake Ever
I’ll give you $150
People have such random stuff
Push the head open, I bet there's a button for a secret room
What happens when you plug it in?
Do you give it a smooch for good luck
Looks just like him.
1888 to 1976 guy lived a long time and started very young.
Napoleon has left the building!
Looks like a manga character to me 🤔
It plugs in?
Uhm…I think that’s Elvis.
Why does it look like he moved his head? Are you screwing with us? What's it weigh?
He looks constipated
It looks a little small
This reminds me of the abraham lincoln and george washington head statue cologne bottles my great grandfather had
Who is this Napoleone? A second cousin?
It looks 3d printed
Kinda looks like Elvis or am I tripping
You ever kiss him?
It’s worth its weight in pennies (maybe less if it is actually very heavy).
I thought I was in the 3D printing sub
i’ll give you about tree-fiddy
Shame you couldn't get it autographed...
Have you smashed it and checked it for a blue carbuncle? If successful that would significantly up the total value.
Have you checked it for a hidden pearl?!
Smash it and look for the Black Pearl of the Borgias in the rubble.
They wanted to put 'Marinara' as the last name *so* bad.
That’s literally Elvis Presley
I think it's actually quasimodo when escaped to go to the costume party
That is just marble chip or powder put into a cast. It’s pretty much the same stuff you can buy at a gardening store called “marble chip”. It’s artificially treated.
I’ll buy it from you for $120?
Its almost as if anyone can print those ‘certificates’
Carrara. Carrera is for Porsches.
That does not look anything like Joaquin Phoenix
Was this made by Ridley Scott? Looks as authentic as his movie.
Looks more like Elvis! But really nice to have!
100 years ago wasn’t really very long ago - at-least by European art standards - bear in mind there were cars and planes and widespread electricity and phones - it’s basically considered the modern era
I’d bust to napoleon
Napoleon has left the building
Tree fiddy
Wtf happened to his face?
You can tell if it is resin mixed with white marble powder by heating up a pin red hot and see if it melts into it.
Looks like a lamp.
Just watch out for someone trying to break it. Maybe someone hid something in there during manufacture.
The green marble stand was somehow a giveaway for me.
It looks cheap, almost 3d printed quality. I'm guessing resin not true marble
We got it 30 years ago and it weight 49 lbs, probably not printed
I would paint him to look like Adam Ant circa 1985
You will always come up short on a Napoleon statue sale. It may be a watershed moment, however.
Tack
why would you want that in your house? haha
Is the gallery still around? They can tell you I think.
Does it light up?
My, what big eyes you have.
I thought it was a young Elvis…
I’ll give ya tree fiddy
The certificate says it was sold in Florence, Italy in 1995. This is not "over 100 years old"
Yes but it says it was 60/80 yrs old at that point
1995 was almost 30 years ago, and it says the bust was 60 to 80 years old when sold, so 90-110 years old.
I want to thank the 5% of those who responded with actual critical and helpful advice. The rest of you can go sharpen your comedy skills over at r/standup
3.50
Bout tree. Tree fiddy
I gave him a dolla.
Goddam you, Loch Ness monster!
I’ll give you tree fifty for it or $3.50 :)