Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes
May 1, 2012, through July 29, 2012
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Pier Jacopo Alari de Bonacolsi, called Antico (c. 1460–1528), Apollo Belvedere, c. 1490, copper with partial fire gilding and silvering; base of bronze, 16 1/4 inches without base, Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt |
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The sculptor Pier Jacopo Alari de Bonacolsi (c. 1455–1528) acquired the nickname Antico (the antique one) for his knowledge of ancient art. Born in or near Mantua, he probably trained as a goldsmith. In his youth Antico traveled to Rome, where masterpieces of the
distant past were coming to light in excavations. The Renaissance
passion for antiquity fostered the collecting of classical Greek and
Roman art. Antico satisfied this demand by pioneering new genres
of sculpture: exquisite bronze statuettes that were reductions of
monumental ancient marble statuary and life-size busts in the
classical style.
Antico's oeuvre, which includes medals and reliefs, as well as busts
and statuettes, is remarkable for its fidelity to the spirit of the classical
past, as well as for its innovative departures from it. His small-scale
bronzes restore heads and limbs to figures whose monumental ancient
prototypes had lost them and feature embellishments such as rich,
black patinas, gilding, and silvering. Antico endowed his works with
a precious jewel-like quality suited to the sophisticated tastes of
his patrons.
Antico spent his career as court sculptor to members of the Gonzaga
family, princely rulers of Mantua who promoted a culture of splendor
to enhance their prestige. The artist's opulent bronzes found great
favor with the Gonzagas, who displayed them alongside ancient
works in their collections. Today, Antico's sculptures are recognized
for their role in establishing a canon of classical art and for their
technical refinement, which conceals the sculptor's labors behind
seamlessly graceful forms.
Works by Antico are rare, and this exhibition — the first of its kind
in the United States — presents more than three-fourths of his extant
oeuvre, assembled from American and European collections. The
works on view in the adjacent galleries, as well as in the Cabinet at
the top of the stairs, follow no single narrative. Rather, the sculptures
are grouped to encourage comparisons between the style, handling,
and subject of the master's works, which rank among the high points
of Renaissance achievement.
The exhibition in New York is made possible, in part, by The Christian Humann Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah M. Bogert, Mr. and Mrs. J. Tomilson Hill III, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation, the Thaw Charitable Trust, and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. |
