Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and the Major Restorations of Myron's Discobolus
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Making Something Out of Next to Nothing: Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and the Major Restorations of Myron's Discobolus Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Barr, Sandra M Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 26/09/2021 06:55:52 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/193942 MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF NEXT TO NOTHNG: BARTOLOMEO CAVACEPPI AND THE MAJOR RESTORATIONS OF MYRON’S DISCOBOLUS By Sandra M. Barr ____________________ Copyright@ Sandra M. Barr A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF ART In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN HISTORY AND THEORY OF ART In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2008 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Sandra M. Barr entitled “Making Something out of Next to Nothing: Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and the Major Restorations of Myron’s Discobolus ” and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Julie Anne Plax __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 David Soren _________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Emily Umberger __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Therese Martin __________________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Mary Voyatzis Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I herby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ____________________________________________________ Date: 4/18/08 Dissertation Director: Julie Anne Plax 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or part may be granted by the copyright holder. Signed: ____________________________________ Sandra Michelle Barr 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I owe a huge personal debt to my staunchest supporter, Dr. Julie- Anne Plax. A brilliant scholar of eighteenth-century art, she has constantly and freely given her time and ideas. She is a perceptive mentor, a good friend, and a chef extraordinaire . Dr. David Soren is the reason I pursued ancient art. His extraordinary intelligence and good humor inspire both peers and students alike. I wish to express sincere thanks to him for opening my eyes to archaeology and the visual arts of the Greco-Roman world. My humble appreciation goes out to the other members of my committee: Dr. Emily Umberger who taught me not to fear literary and historical methodology, Dr. Therese Martin for her constant support , and Dr. Mary Voyatzis, who has shared much nuanced insight into Greek culture and architecture. My thanks also need to be extended to the Getty Museum and in particular, Dr. Podany for his time and advice. The Getty library provided gracious assistance in person via e-mail, and on the telephone. I was also graciously assisted by Paula Wolfe and the research librarians at the University of Arizona. A note of thanks is also in order to Dr. Mulas, the head archivist at the Palazzo Massimo Alle Terme or National Roman Museum. She not only provided me with copies of the museum archives on the Massimi Discobolus , but also put me in contact with the photo archivist. All of these efforts were much appreciated. And finally, a heartfelt thanks to all of those on the home front, my families in California and Arizona. You all have supported my long and rewarding educational process. Jeff, you will always be my editor-in-chief, my lifelong comrade-in-arms. 5 DEDICATION Kathryn Larch was the first person, outside of my family circle, who took my interest in history seriously. With my one-year-old son in tow, and five years out of high school, I met her at Pima Community College when I enrolled in one of her Humanities courses. Halfway through the class I was hooked. She had rekindled my childhood love of history with a dry wit, enthusiasm and depth of knowledge that I have ever since sought to emulate. Kathryn made me feel that a pursuit in academics was not only a worthy and responsible course of action, but that it was personally achievable. Giving me confidence during a fragile period in my life, she also opened the door to teaching to me at Pima College where I first tutored, and have since taught. I would never have made it through my Bachelors program in History and Religious Studies without her, much less the challenges and opportunities of my post-graduate pursuits. Tragically, Kathryn died too young from ALS, which robbed her of finishing her own dissertation – of finishing her own life. It is fitting that I dedicate this work to her. This is for you Kathryn. I only wish I could share it with you. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………7 INTRODUCTION: The Problem: Originals, Copies, Restorations and Variants………..8 CHAPTER 1: ANCIENT GREECE AND HER SCULPTURE Myron and the Function of Greek Sculpture……….……………………............17 Primary Authors on Myron of Eleutherae………………………………….........23 Gaius Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Elder)…………………………..……………24 Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (Quintilian)………………………………...……....28 Lucian of Samosata………………………………………...……………………30 Anthologia Palatina ……………………………………………………………...34 CHAPTER 2: ROME AND THE USE OF GREEK SCULPTURE Vincebamur a victa Graecia : or when the Captive becomes the Master………..38 From Capturing to Collecting……………………………………………………43 Imitation, Reinterpretation, Appropriation; Decorum and Phantasia …….……..46 CHAPTER 3: EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ROME AND COLLECTING Rome Faces Nostalgia……………………………………………………………52 The Life and Work of Cavaceppi………………………………………………...63 Tricks of the Trade: Materials and Practices of the Day………………………...96 CHAPTER 4: THE FIVE MAJOR RESTORATIONS OF THE DISCOBOLUS Once More, With Feeling: Endymion (the Uffizi Discobolus )…………............111 The Odd Fabrication at the Capitoline: The Fallen Warrior ……………………118 Diomedes and the Palladium ………….………………………………………..128 Diomedes, Act Two: The Lansdowne Discobolus ……………………………..138 Home at Last: The Massimi Discobolus in the National Museum of Rome…...147 Flawed Perfection: The Townley Discobolus in the British Museum….............156 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION……………………………………………….…...........171 APPENDIX A: LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS REFERENCED………………………..181 APPENDIX B: THE WORKSHOP OF CAVACEPPI…………………………..…….184 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………....185 7 ABSTRACT Unbeknownst to the public and many scholars, the vast majority of ancient sculptural works – which are displayed in museums and cited in many textbooks as original and canonical pieces – are actually extensively restored eighteenth-century variations. Although during that time period extensive, and often creative, restoration was a well accepted practice, this does call into question the authenticity of these pieces and their usefulness as paradigms of ancient art. This is especially true for one of the most iconic and well known of ancient sculptural works - the Discobolus . The original bronze statue of a young nude discus thrower was created in the mid-fifth century BC by the Greek artist Myron. The original sculpture no longer exists. The extant works are all restorations of Roman marble copies with linkage to an extremely prolific eighteenth-century Italian sculptor and restorer, Bartolomeo Cavaceppi. This dissertation explores the work and practice of Cavaceppi during the early period of Neoclassicism, with special emphasis on the restoration of five different variants of the Discobolus . It begins with an examination of the original Greek statue and why so many Roman copies were made. The main focus, however, is on the variations that were introduced when the Roman pieces were restored between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, most notably those connected to the workshop of Cavaceppi. Using the Discobolus as a case study, my intention is to clarify the nature of these restored ancient pieces. 8 INTRODUCTION The Problem: Originals, Copies, Restorations and Variants Students of classical art are taught largely from an accepted canon of works that are ostensibly examples of Greco-Roman art. While these works were originally created in the styles of their respective periods, what is rarely discussed is their extensive restorations. As a student of classical art, it frankly came as a surprise to me that many of the statue attributions are arguable, many poses are conjectural, and that a significant portion of the ancient statues are actually more “modern” or eighteenth-century than antique in