WILHELM HOPFGARTEN (1779-1860), ITALIAN, ROME, MID-19TH CENTURY, AFTER THE ANTIQUE | EQUESTRIAN MONUMENT OF MARCUS AURELIUS

The present bronze is a particularly fine cast of the monumental equestrian bronze group of Marcus Aurelius, originally made for the Campidoglio in Rome. The German-born Wilhelm Hopfgarten started a bronze foundry and sculpture studio in Rome in 1805 with his compatriot Benjamin Ludwig Jollage. Their bronze casts were coveted by Grand Tourists. They further secured important commissions casting bronzes for renowned artists working in Rome, including Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen. 

RELATED LITERATURE

C. Teolato, Hopfgarten and Jollage Rediscovered: Two Berlin Bronzists in Napoleonic and Restoration Rome, Rome, 2016