Augustin Querol y Subirats Spanish, 1863-1909

The Catalan Agustin Querol y Subirats was a leading figure in late 19th Century Spanish art.  After struggling with poverty and parental opposition Querol won the Madrid prize for the Roman pension in 1884 for a relief of St John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness. He exhibited at several of the universal exhibitions and held diplomas, orders and gold medals won for his contributions to exhibitions in France, Germany, Austria and Spain. He came to Paris in 1900 where he joined the international jury of sculpture.

Querol first visited the subject of Tullia in 1885 with a low relief of Tullia driving over the corpse of her father. The story of the scheming and callous Tullia, a femme fatale of ancient Rome is scandalous and dramatic. She was the daughter of Servius Tullius the 6th of the legendary early kings of Rome. Servius had no sons and so sought to continue his line through his two daughters whom he gave in marriage to the two sons of Tarquin the Elder. Tullia was married to the gentler of the two brothers and despised him. Her more strident personality matched that of the other brother Tarquinus Superbus (Tarquin the Proud) and the two fell in love and hatched a plot to murder their spouses in order to marry. After they succeeded in this they conspired to kill Tullia's father to obtain the throne. Tarquin threw Servius out of the Senate, boldly proclaiming himself king and proceeded to have Servius assassinated in the street. Tullia, coming to greet her husband on the road, ordered her charioteer to drive over her father's corpse. 

Writing in 1902 Rudy described the bust: 'the scanty drapery clasped to her shoulder and hiding the palpitating bosom, her hair massive and heavy, Tullia hautilly and sternly looks towards courtiers and slaves - hers, her father's no longer, for he is dead and crushed by her chariot wheels!'

Another version of this model is in the Galleria Moderna in Madrid.

RELATED LITERATURE
Rudy, pp.344-48; Benezit, vol.11, p.349