The date is thus satisfactorily established, but the authorship of the work is less easily settled. All the authorities without exception say that the sculptor was a certain Giacomo Bargnola of Valsolda, who was also called Bologna. Fassola describes him as a “_statuario virtuosissimo e glorioso per tutta l’ Europa_,” and Torrotti calls him “_il famoso Giacomo Bargnola di Valsoldo_ [sic] _sopranominato Bologna_.” All subsequent writers have repeated this. At Varallo itself I found nothing known about either Bargnola or Valsolda, but turning to Zani find Bargnola under the name Paracca. Zani says, “_Paracca_, _non Peracca_, _nè Perracca_, _nè Perrazza_, _Giannantonio_, _o Giacomo_, _detto il Valsoldo_, _Valsolino_, _e il Valsoldino_, _non Valfondino_, _ed anche il Bargnola_, _e malamente Antonio Valsado Parravalda_.” He says that he was a “_plastico_” and restorer of statues, came from the neighbourhood of Como, was “_bravissimo_,” and lived about from 1557–1587. There was a Luigi Paracca from the same place who was also called “Il Valsoldino” and a Giacomo, and an Andrea, but of these last three he does not say that they were noteworthy. Nagler mentions only a Giovanni Antonio Parracca, who he says was called Valsolda. He says that he was a sculptor of Milan, who made a reputation at Rome about 1580 as a restorer of antique statues; that he only worked in order to get money to spend on debauchery, and died, according to Baglione, young, and in a hospital. His words are— “Paracca, Gio. Antonio gennant Valsoldo, Bildhauer von Mailand, machte sich um 1580 in Rom als Restaurator antiker Werke einen Namen, arbeitete aber nur, um Geld zur Schwelgerei zu bekommen. Starb jung im Hospital wie Baglione versichert.” I have had Baglione before me, but can find no life of Paracca either under that name or under that of Bargnola, and suppose the reference to him must be incidental in the life of some other artist. I will again gratefully accept a fuller reference. I do not believe a word about Paracca’s alleged debauchery. Who ever yet worked as Nagler says?