Antique Religious Statue St Joseph with Child Jesus T Carli Bernardi & Nieri Montreal 18

This is a wonderful antique plaster statue of Saint Joseph posed with the child Jesus. Saint Joseph is often posed, as in this example, with three lilies, which signifies the Blessed Trinity as well as integrity, indicating that Saint Joseph was the earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The statue is hand signed at the back with Bernardi & Nieri 1289 Maisonneuve Montreal, Que. But, if you look closely, it is actually signed T. Carli underneath the Bernardi & Nieri signature. Tommaso (Thomas) Carli was of Italian origin, immigrating to Lower Canada in 1858. He found employment with Montreal statuary maker Gaetano Baccerini, setting up his own firm T. Carli in 1877. Thomas died in 1906 but the company continued under his name until 1923 when it merged with the Petrucci brothers to become T. Carli-Petrucci. Bernardi & Nieri started operations during the early 20th century, but Im unsure of the exact date. It appears that they simply took a T Carli statue and sold it under their name, so I think that this statue has to pre-date 1923. The piece measures 18 in height and is in very good condition with the exception of some paint flaking or shallow chipping, particularly to St Josephs fingers - please view the photos for the paint flakes and chips. If someone if very artistically oriented, it should be possible to touch this up so that it isnt at all apparent. This is an interesting statue, not your typical posing of Saint Joseph - made in Canada by skilled Italian craftsmen, historical piece!