Lot n° 424
Estimation :
60000 - 80000
EUR
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Genoese school, workshop of Giovanni Barrata (1670-1747), fi - Lot 424
Genoese school, workshop of Giovanni Barrata (1670-1747), first quarter of the 18th century
Large marble plaque carved in bas-relief representing the Assumption of the Virgin, after Pierre
Puget (1620 - 1694).
H.: 101 cm - W.: 75 cm
At the request of Charles II de Gonzague, Duke of Mantua,
Pierre Puget probably sculpted a bas-relief depicting the Assumption of the Virgin in Genoa. He began work on it in 1664 and delivered it to the prince on August 14, 1665. The work caused quite a stir at its reception, and artists came to see it. It left the princely collection in 1708 and in 1721 entered that of Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, who transferred it to Germany.
Klaus Herding, in the catalog raisonné on Pierre Puget, states that "Genoese sculptors were overwhelmed by the virtuosity and revolution that Puget achieved, in particular by his synthesis between the art of Algarde and that of Bernini, and by his very gentle animation of the sculptural mass".
As a result, sculptors were drawn to Puget's bas-relief and produced replicas. The one attributed to Giovanni Baratta (1670-1747) is now in the Civic Museum of Livorno (inv. no. Mun.
Li 891).
A second version is therefore presented today. In his book on marble sculpture, F Freddodino points out that the Livorno bas-relief, attributed to Giovanni Baratta, does not seem to be as emblematic of his work and could be that of his workshop. Indeed, this attribution had already been called into question by
Klaus Herding, and the Assumption relief does not seem to share any common features with Giovanni Baratta's language. Moreover, Baratta directed the first artistic workshop to be established in Carrara, and his workshop produced replicas of numerous works destined for widespread sale.
Whatever the controversy, which makes it difficult to attribute this bas-relief to an artist as renowned as Giovanni Baratta, the sculptors of the Genoese school of the early 18th century wanted to preserve the memory of Pierre Puget's virtuosity and his synthetic, innovative language, before it left the collections of the Prince of Mantua.
Works consulted: F. Freddodino, Giovanni Baratta 1670-1747
Scultura et industria del marmo tra la Toscana e le corti d'europa, 2013
K. Herding, Pierre Puget (1620-1694) L'artiste et son oeuvre, 2; 2023, p 277
K. Herding, Pierre Puget (1620-1694) Catalogue raisonné, tome II, 2023, SC16, pp 36-37
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