Model
ca. 1578 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Clays come from decomposed rocks ground down by weathering. Skill is needed in preparing wet clay to give it strength and ease of modelling, also to remove excess water and air before it is fired in a kiln. Firing fuses the clay particles and causes other structural changes that affect the colour and lead to shrinkage of about 10%. Comparatively few works in unfired clay survive because they are fragile and easily damaged. This figure is unfired and you can see the natural colour of the clay. Clay that is merely dried and not fired is known as ‘terra secca’. This is an unfired sketch model for grotesque masks on the façade of a building.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Unfired clay |
Brief description | Mask, by Giambologna, unfired clay, Italy (Florence) ca. 1578 |
Physical description | A frowning male face, with folds of drapery at each side. Cracked and repaired; the nose broken. The inside filled (in 1909) with tinted plaster. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | Acquired in Florence from the Gherardini collection. |
Production | This is an unfired sketch model for grotesque masks on the façade of a building. For the Palazzo Vecchietti, Florence, which was designed by Giambologna for his patron, Bernardo Vecchietti. It was Vecchietti who encouraged the sculptor to stay in Florence and introduced him to the Medici, for whom he became Court Sculptor. |
Summary | Clays come from decomposed rocks ground down by weathering. Skill is needed in preparing wet clay to give it strength and ease of modelling, also to remove excess water and air before it is fired in a kiln. Firing fuses the clay particles and causes other structural changes that affect the colour and lead to shrinkage of about 10%. Comparatively few works in unfired clay survive because they are fragile and easily damaged. This figure is unfired and you can see the natural colour of the clay. Clay that is merely dried and not fired is known as ‘terra secca’. This is an unfired sketch model for grotesque masks on the façade of a building. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 4107:1-1854 |
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Record created | April 6, 2005 |
Record URL |
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