European Terracotta Sculpture fromthe Arthur M. Sackler Collections

culptors have long favored terracotta , teenth and eighteenth centuries as the immedi- or fired clay. In expensive. plentiful, acy and spontaneity of the medium, in volve- neutral, adaptable, clay has much to ment with the "hand" of the artist, and prox- rSecommend it as a basic material in sculptural imity to the creative act became increasingly practice. A sculptor's first thoughts f or a new appealing to patrons. Th e same factors led to project, whatever medium chosen f or the final an interest in collecting works in rerracotta. execwion, often manifest themselves in clay, While in the seventeenth century these works which can be quickly shaped into a rough were most often appreciated and collected by sketch. While the clay is still damp , changes other artists, such as the French sculptor

that would be cumbersome or impossible in FrancoisGirardon, by the eighteenth century materials like wood or stone can easily be connoisseurs, including drawings expert made. A clay modeler need nor won y about Pierre Jean Mariette, began to line th eir hidden knots in wood or discolored veins in shelves with objects of fired clay. In response marble that can ruin carving in those media. to demand from such established collectors With a f ew tools. such as wooden spatulas as Catherine the Great, Clodion virtually (ebauchoirs) and damp cloths. a sculptor can abandoned marble carving in order to spec- also create clay objects so precise and ialize in highly finished terracotta statuettes delicate as to rival carvings in finer and (nos.l9 and 20). costlier materials. By the end of the eighteenth century, terracotta Such properties make clay a studio staple, and became less a means to an end (that is, a study others further enhance its value. While Renais- f or a bronze or marble sculpture) than the end sance artists often used wax for their sketches itself. Despite the eighteenth-centwy love of because it is easier to manipulate than clay, refin ement, craftsmanship, and costly is cleaner, and does not dry out and crack materials, sculptures fashioned in clay be- during modeling. wax cannot be strengthened came highly esteemed. Vivacious modeling by firing and is generally roo fragile or brittle appealed to Rococo tastes. The scale of terra- to survive f or long. Thu s, when faced with the cotta works, kept small by the size of the kiln Claude Michel, called Clodion prospect of selling durable studio models to in which they must be fired and the tendency French , 1738-1814 collectors. sculptors turned to clay. Clay can of large clay objects to crack under heat, Vestal Holding Sacred also be pressed into molds f or produ ction in was appropriate to the intimate rooms inhab- Vessels, 1765/1770 Terracotta statuette editions. In the Renaissance this property was ited by the aristocrats of that period. The exploited by the studio of Luca della Robbia to discovery of Etruscan terracottas in Italy create numerous popular religious icons that added th e authority of antiquity to the would be affordable to those with moderate contemporary vog ue. Above all, the contrast incomes. Ninereenth-cemwy sculptors revived between the natural quality of terracotta and this practice to mass produ ce sculpture. the sophistication of porcelain , ormolu , and Finally, while the rose, yellow, or gray tones other decorative arts contributed to its popu- of the natural state have great appeal, clay larity with collectors. A similar impulse led surfaces accept various coatings. Th e artist Marie Antoinette to retreat occasionally from can add brightly colored glazes , a slip (clay the splendors of Ve rsailles to her "shepherd's mixed with water) to soften the su1jace, cottage ," the Petit Hameau , to refresh herself or paint to make the object look like costly in rustic surroundings. bronze or marble. Such shifts in taste contributed to the way in Drawing collections flourished in the seven- which the finish of a sculpture was considered. Contemporary viewers could enjoy the abbre- signed to the lower ranks of sculptural media. viations of eighteenth-century sculptor Vasse Algardi' s critics claimed that he was more a (no. 17), which were personal notations in a modeler than a carver, implying that he was three-dimensional shorthand, as long as such deficient in the "major" media. Eventually, works were considered models; but his final his work in marble silenced his detractors . work was expected to be, and was, polished to Algardi' s terracotta models were prized by perfection. In the nineteenth century, artists other sculptors, however, and his influence is and collectors began to prize the "unfinished" f elt in several Baroque works in this exhibition. surfaces of terracotta. The rough, puckered Th e sweet expression and graceful muscula- surfaces of Carpeaux' s models (no. 28) were ture of Christ in Giuseppe Mazzuoli' s Lamen- preserved in terracotta or plaster editions. tation (no. 9), f or instance , owe as much to Rodin not only accepted but exploited such Algardi as to Gian Lorenzo Bernini. This relief swfaces in his "finished" commissions (no. is a finished work, f ormerly installed in the Circle of Artus Que Ilinus 31). Wh en seen through twentieth-century chapel of Montegufoni in Tuscany. Complexity the Elder eyes, the scarred surfaces of Martini's models of Baroque relief reached irs peak in works Flemish, 1609-1668 Tarquln and Lucretia (nos. 33 and 34) appear to be the final inten- like Soldani-Benzi' s Apotheosis of Grand c. 1650 tion of the artist; and in fact, his full-scale Master Fra Antonio Manoel de Vilhena (no. Terra cotta statuette bronze sculpture retains such crudeness. Ter- 16). While it is as highly finished as Mazzuoli' s racottas readily appeal to contemporary sen- relief, this work was intended by the master sibilities conditioned to accept the raw as well medalist as a model to be cast in bronze; but as the highly finished; we need to be reminded the patron left this project unfulfilled. that acceptance of these works in earlier Baroque terracottas were often multi-figured centuries was more problematic, less assured, compositions. Ma zza's David Triumphant than today. Over Goliath (no. 14 ), an adroit blend of This selection from the Sack/er Collection re- beauty and violence, is typical of Bolognese flects the development of these changes in the terracotta around 1700. This piece inspired a popularity and function of terracotta . Th e two work by Giovanni Battista F oggini on the same earliest works (nos. I and 2) are notable for a theme, which was, in turn. the model f or a por- high degree of realism. The keenly sorrowful celain edition. Terracotta sculptures were of- expressions of such believable devotional ten the progenitors of eighteenth-century deco- images were intended to stir the emotions of rative arts, such as Doccia porcelain in Italy, the faithful. Th e Po river region, where the Sevres in France, and Meissen in Germany. first terracotta figures in the exhibition were Cornachini' s Continence of Scipio (no. 13 ), made, is rich in fine river clay and poor in composed of five interlocking parts, demon- marble quarries, which has promoted the use su·ares the in creasingly elaborate nature of of the former. Th e seventeenth-century sculp- such groups during this period. Flemish sculp- tor Alessandro Algardi, a native of that region, tors, such as Pierre Denis Plumiere (no. 12) or continued his practice of making terracotta Jan Baptiste van der Haegen (no. 15 ), learned models after moving from Bologna to Rome. the principals of composing figural groups His lyrical Torso of Christ (no. 5) is probably from Italian artists. Th e rounded and fleshy a study for a large composition, while his Saint f orms of their figures. characteristic of the John the Baptist (no. 6) is a same-size model painter Peter Paul Rubens , are pe1jectly for a group cast in bronze and in silver. In adapted to rerracotta. Rome during this period, terracotta was con- French sculptors dominated the medium by the end of the eighteenth century. C/odion' s ex- Sack/er collections. In 1981-82 a larger exhi- quisite terracotta statuettes (nos. 19 and 20) bition of these holdings circulated to Th e captivated Rococo collectors. In his suite, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C., Neoclassical sculptors, such as Simon Louis Th e Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York , Boizot (n o. 22 ) and Joseph Chinard (no. 23), and the Fogg Museum, Boston. It is a great pelfected his smooth , sensuous surfaces. pity that Dr. Sackler' s death last May pre- French artists also adopted the medium f or vented him from the pleasure of seeing his the portrait bust, enlivening this formal type objects in this and other exhibitions f rom his with the vivacity of touch possible in terra- collections presented this year. We are most cotta. Pajou, in his Bust of Corbin de Cordet grateful to the Sackler Foundation f or con- de Florensac (no. 24 ), achieves a sense of tinuing with plans f or this show at such a diffi- motion and captures the sitter's alert gaze cult time and f or its generous support f or this with the flicker of a modeling tool through the project. Dr. Lois Katz, Administrator of the hair and in cisions in the pupils. Su ch Rococo Sack/er Foundation, has provided invaluable portrait conventions were revived in the nine- advice and assistance. Jan Bapiste Van der teenth century by Carrier-Belleuse (no. 29). Haegen Nineteenth- and twentieth-century sculptors Jan Wardropper Flemish , 1688-c. 1740 Saint Joseph Holding the flaunted the rugged surfaces of worked clay. Associate Curator Christ Child, c. 1723 The brooding power of Rodin's Titans (no. European Decorative Arts and Sculpture TerracoHa statueHe 3 1) is emphasized by the retention of the scumbled surfaces and blocky musculature of the figures in their adaptation to the f orm of a vase. Jagged, seemingly random gouges Giuseppe Marla Maua in Vallmitjana' s Wounded Bullfighter (no. This exhibition was funded by The AMS F ounda- Italian , 1653-1741 David Triumphant over 30) underline the violence of the subject. Th e tion f or the Arts, Sciences and Humanities, Goliath, c. 1675n725 deliberate roughness of Martini's figural Washington, D.C. and the Arthur M. Sack/er TerracoHa statueHe studies expresses barely containable energy Foundation, Washington, D.C. (no. 33). Th e Chicago exhibition was partially supported Ch anging attitudes toward terracotta over by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur the six centuries represented in this exhibition Foundation Special Exhibitions Grant. are representative of similar developments throughout the visual arts. One is the shift in attitude toward the medium; it is less impor- tant to us today what materials are used by the artist than how they are manipulated. Another is our desire to see the traces of the artist' s encounter with the medium-our interest in the process of creation as well as the finished produ ct. These beautiful studies and finished works amply demonstrate the role of terra- cotta in the development of sculpture from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. This exhibition has been selected from over one hundred examples in the Arthur M. Checklist f or th e Exhibition

"Ca(' refers ro 1. Circle of Guido Mazzoni , 10 . Netherlandish Charles A 1·err. Italian , active 1473-1 518 , Hercules, c. 1700 The Man of Sorrows, 1475/1500, Terracotta model Fi ngerprints of the Polychromed terracotta bust H. 18 5/8 in . (46.9 em) Arti st: European H. 161/2 in . (41 .9 em) Cat. 110 Cat. 1 Terracoua Sculpture 11 . Circle of Jan Claudius de Cock from the Arthur M. 2. Attributed to Andrea Ferrucci Flemish , 1667-1735 Italian, 1465-1526 Crying Boy, 1675/1725 Sackler Coll ecti ons. Sain/Jerome, c. 1480/1500 Terracotta bust Washingron. D .C .. Terracotta statuette H. 16 in . (40.6 em) / 981. H. 22 in . (56 em) Cat. 111 Cat. 7 12 . Attributed to Pierre Denis Plumiere Dimensions are 3. Jacopo del Duca Flemish , 1688-1721 Italian, c. 1520-atter 1592 Fa/her Time Carrying Off a Dead Infant, c. 1710/1720 given as f ollows: The Deposition of Christ, c. 1565 Terracotta model with wooden wings and repairs heighr before width Terracotta relief H. 20 7/8 in . (53 em) H. 11 in. (28 em) ; W. 81 /2 in . (21 .5 em) Cat. 114 (o r diamerer Cat. 14 or lengrh ) before 13. Attributed to Agostino Cornacchini Italian, 1686-1754 deprh . 4. Circle of Germain Pilon French , 1528-1590 The Continence of Scipio , c. 1700/1710 Dead Christ, c. 1570 Terracotta on contemporary gilded wood stand Terracotta figure with remains of gesso H. 191/2 in. (49 .5 em) ; W. 171/4 in. (43 .9 em) ; l.. 33 in . (83 .8 em) D. 131 /2 in . (34 .3 em) Cat. 67 Cat . 37

5. Alessandro Algardi 14. Giuseppe Maria Mazza Italian , 1598-1654 Italian , 1653-1 741 Torso of the Resurrected Christ, c. 1650 David Triumphant over Goliath, c. 1675/1725 Terra cotta model with plaster repairs Terracotta statuette H. 20 1/4 in. (51 .4 em) H. 18 3/4 in . (47 .6 em) Cat. 17 Cat. 39

6. Alessandro Algardi 15 . Jan Baptiste Vander Haegen Italian, 1598-1654 Flemish , 1688- c. 1740 Sain/John the Baptist, c. 1540/1550 Saini Joseph Holding the Christ Child, c. 1723 Terracotta model Terracotta statuette H. 16 1/2 in . (41 .9 em) H. 19 3/4 in . (50.1 em ) Cat. 18 Cat. 109

7. Circle of Artus Quellinus the Elder 16. Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi Flemish , 1609-1668 Italian , 1656-1740 Tarquin and Lucretia, c. 1650 The Apotheosis of Grand Master Terracotta statuette Fra Antonio Manoe/ deVifhena, c. 1727/1 729 H. 13 5/8 in . (34 .6 em) Terracotta relief Cat. 106 H. 231 /2 in. (59.7 em) ; W. 14 7/8 in . (37 .8 em) Cat. 34 8. Pietro Papaleo Italian , c. 1642-1718 17. Louis Claude Vasse Saint Luke, c. 1700 French , 1716-1772 Terracotta model Mourning Woman and Pulto , c. 1750/1760 H. 191/2 in . (49.5 em) Terracotta sketch-model Cat. 53 H. 715/16 in . (20 .2 em) Cat. 73 9. Giuseppe Mazzuoli Italian , 1644-1725 18. Claude Michel , called Clodion Lamentation, c. 1695 French , 1738-1814 Terracotta relief Satyr H. 54 in . (137 .2 em) ; W. 51 in . (130 .8 em) Terra cotta Cat. 21 H. 15 3/8 in . (39 .2 em) ; W. 5 in. (12.7 em) D. 71/2 in . (19 em) Not in Cat. Collection Jill Sackler 19 . and 20 . Claude Michel , called Clodion 28 . Jean Baptiste Carpeaux French, 1738-1814 French , 1827-1875 Vestal Bearing Wreaths on a Platter and Vestal Holding Flora Kneeling, c. 1863 Sacred Vessels, c. 1765/1770 Terracolta model Terracolta slatueltes H. 8 1/2 in . (21 .6 em) Cat. 81 . H. 161/2 in . (41 .9 em) ; Cat. 96 Cat. 82. H. 16 3/4 in . (42 .6 em) 29 . Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse 21 . Joseph Nollekens French . 1824-1887 English , 1737-1823 Colombe (Dove) , c. 1870 Paetus and Arria, c. 1770 Terracolta bust Terracolta sketch-model H. 25 5/8 in . (65 .1 em) H. 7 3/8 in . (18 .7 em) Cat. 98 Cat. 115 30 . Venancio Vallmitjana 22. Simon Louis Boizot Spanish . 1830-1919 French , 1743-180,9 Wounded Bullfighter, c. 1875/1880 Bust of a High Priest, c. 1774 Terracolta model Terracolta bust L. 14 in . (35 .5 em) H. 6 3/4 in . (17 .1 em) Cat. 117 Cat. 84 31 . Auguste Rodin 23. Joseph Chinard French . 1840-1917 Mieczylslaw Leon French , 1756-1813 Vase of Titans, c. 1880 Zaswiejski Phryne Emerging from Her Bath, c. 1787 Cast terra colla vase Polish , 1856-1933 Terracolta statuelte H. 15 3/4 in . (40 em) The Lookout: The Peoples ' H. 28 1/8 in . (71 .4 em) Cat. 99 Gazette, 1884 Cat. 87 Terracolta relief 32 . Mieczylslaw Leon Zaswiejski 24 . Augustin Pajou Polish , 1856-1933 French , 1730-1809 The Lookout: The Peoples ' Gazette, 1884 Alessandro Algardi 1792/1794 Terracolta relief Bust of Corbin de Cordet de Florensac, c. Italian, 1598-1654 Terracolta bust H. 101 /2 in. (26.7 em) ; W. 9 3/16 in . (23 .3 em ) Torso of the Resurrected H. 211 /4 in . (54 em) Cat. 66 Christ(detail) , c. 1650 Cat. 80 Terracolta model 33 . Arturo Martini 25 . Joseph Chinard Italian, 1889-1947 French . 1756-1813 Horse- Tamer, c. 1900/1925 Sappho and Phaon, c. 1800/1 810 Terra-cruda (unfired clay) figure Terracolta sketch-model H. 9 3/16 in . (23 .4 em) H. 6 1/4 in . (15 .8 em) Cat. 64 Cat. 90 34. Arturo Martini 26. Italian (Florentine) Italian, 1889-1947 Sketch -Mode/ for a Wall Monument Girl Kneeling and Dressing Her Hair, c. 1900/1925 with a Figure of Charity, c. 1850 Terra-cruda (unfired clay) figure Terracolta model H. 101/8 in . (25 .7 em) H. 13 5/8 in . (34.6 em) ; W. 8 3/4 in . (22 .2 em) Cat. 60 Cat. 54 35 . Albert Ernest Carrier-Belteuse 27 . Italian (florentine) French . 1824-1887 Sketch-Model for a Wall Monument with a Male Portrait Venus and Cupid, c. 1870/1875 Bust, c. 1850 Terra colla Terracolta model H. 15 3/4 in . (40 em) ; D. 6 in. (15.2 em) ; H. 13 5/16 in. (33 .8 em) ; W. 7 718 in . (20 em) W. 7 1/2 in . (19 em) Cat. 55 Not in cat. Collection Jilt Sackler