Lot 92
  • 92

Attributed to Giovanni Bonazza (1654-1736) Northern Italian, circa 1700

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description

  • Six Reliefs with Dark Age Kings of Italy
  • white marble, within later partially gilt wood frames
  • Attributed to Giovanni Bonazza (1654-1736) Northern Italian, circa 1700
respectively inscribed: FLV. GUND. ARIPERTI LONG. REX XI; FLAV. GRIMOALD. LONGOB. REX XIIFL. ARIPERTUS II RAGUMBERTI FIL. LONGOB. REX XVIRACHISTUS FOROIUL. DUX LONGOB. REXVIDO BERNARDI FIL. EPOREDIÆ COMII:SADALBERTUS II ITAL. REX

Condition

Overall, the condition of the reliefs is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a number of naturally occuring inclusions, including to the beard of Adelbertus and to the ground beneath his beard. There is veining consistent with the material, in particular to Grimold's cheek. There are some minor abrasions and dirt marks to the high points, such as at the beards. There are a few small chips and losses, notably to Grimold's ear and to Rachisus's earlobe. There is a loss to the middle finial on Carolus's crown. There are a few smaller chips to the finials of the crowns. There is a small loss to Aripertus's earlobe. There are some minor scratiches to the marbles, including to Rachisus's jawbone and neck. There are a series of very slightly open veins running across the surface of the relief with Bernardi, in particular to the crown. There are some very small chips to the edges of the reliefs. The frames are in good condition, with some general ear. There is some evidence of minor non-active worming. Each of the reliefs has sections of fill/glue residue to the reverse.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

This extraordinary group of reliefs constitute one of the most important ensembles by the Venetian sculptor Giovanni Bonazza to have been offered on the international art market in recent years. They represent the evocative figures of Dark Age kings of Italy: Flavio Gundeberto, 11th king of the Lombards; Flavio Grimoald, 12th king of the Lombards; Flavio Aribert II, 16th king of the Lombards; Flavio Rachisio, 20th king of the Lombards; Guido, Marquis of Ivrea; and, finally, Adalberto II, 6th king of Italy.

Giovanni Bonazza was one of the leading sculptors active in the Veneto in the early 18th century, creating reliefs and figurative groups for palaces and villas throughout the Venetian Republic. The present subjects would have been particularly attractive to the regional Patrician elite, who would have wished to assimilate themselves to their illustrious forebears deep in the Dark Age past. Such images would have created an illusion of lineage and antiquity, whilst serving as impressive adornments to sumptuous interiors. The subject of the Dark Age kings appears to have been particularly fruitful for Bonazza: there is a very similar relief of Teias, last Ostrogoth King of Italy in the Walters Art Gallery (inv. no. 27.483-488), whilst a series of roundels with Barbarian monarchs can be seen on the walls of the atrium of the Corner Spinelli Palace in Venice (Warrior, 2009, op. cit., pp. 208, 233).

Bonazza's choice of subject coincides with wider interest in Dark Age rulers throughout Europe from the second half of the 17th century onwards. The present reliefs are undoubtedly inspired by engravings from Emanuele Tesauro's Del regno d'Italia sotto i barbari, published in Venice by Giovanni Giacomo Hertz in 1667. The first four profile portraits derive from engravings from Tesauro's chapter entitled Secondo Regno d'Italia sotto i Longobardi (the Second Kingdom of Italy under the Lombards), whilst the final two follow prints from the section, Terzo Regno d'Italia conteso tra gli stranieri et italiani (the Third Kingdom of Italy contested between foreigners and Italians). Bonazza has followed the 17th-century sources faithfully, though in reverse. Compare, for example, the present relief of Flavio Richisio with the portrait appearing in Tesauro's volume. Here we see the same figure, although Bonazza has taken the liberty of presenting a slimmer, more youthful, king, with a charming, finely, delineated, moustache. The most striking of each of the roundels, the bellicose portrait of Guido, Marquis of Ivrea, with flowing beard and elaborate fortified coronet, is a tour-de-force in which the sculptor has managed to translate the energy of the engraving into marble, whilst retaining his own Baroque style and adding in elements like the beautifully drilled plumes above the crown.

The present reliefs are consistent with Bonazza's oeuvre when he was at his artistic maturity. Compare with other carvings dating from the first decades of the 18th century, such as his Apostles from the Palazzo Dondi dell'Orologio, Padua (Guerriero 2003, op. cit., pp. 107-108, figs. 2-13). These have the same rounded forms and enlarged eyes, with crescent moon eyelids, and similarly drilled hair. Tantalisingly, in a description of the Palazzo dei Forzadura di Stra, dated 1765, the writer Giambattista Rossetti refers to 'una serie di Ritratti di sessanta Re d'Italia scolpiti in marmo' ('a series of portraits of sixty Italian kings, carved in marble'; Rossetti, op. cit., p. 349).

RELATED LITERATURE
G.B. Rossetti, Descrizione delle pitture, sculture ed architetture di Padova, Padua 1765; S. Guerriero, 'Per l'attività padovana di Giovanni Bonazza e del suo “valente discepolo” Francesco Bertos', in Bollettino del Museo Civico di Padova, XCI, 2002, pp. 105-120; S. Guerriero, 'Il collezionismo di sculture moderne', in L. Borean e S. Mason, Il collezionismo d'arte a Venezia. Il Seicento, Venice, 2007, pp. 42-61; S. Guerriero, 'Per un repertorio della scultura veneta del Sei e Settecento. I', in Saggi e memorie di storia dell'arte, 33, 2009, pp. 205-292

An expertise by Dr Maichol Clemente is available upon request.