Portrait of Apollonio Massa
Bust
1572 (sculpted), ca. 1884 (cast)
1572 (sculpted), ca. 1884 (cast)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This plaster cast is taken from a terracotta model for a marble portrait of the physician Apollonio Massa of 1572 by Alessandro Vittoria, formerly in the church of San Domenico di Castello in Venice. Although the sitter is represented in contemporary dress in the model, in the final version he is shown wearing classicizing drapery. Alessandro Vittoria was an architect, stuccoist, sculptor of bronzes, and renowned portrait sculptor in 16th-century Venice. The cast was made by Signor Tombola, a plaster-cast maker in Venice.
Plaster casts were especially sought after during the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were thought crucial for the training of artists. A separating substance was applied to the surface of the work to be reproduced, and a plaster mould made from that. The mould would then be used to make any number of additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists, and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes.
Plaster casts were especially sought after during the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were thought crucial for the training of artists. A separating substance was applied to the surface of the work to be reproduced, and a plaster mould made from that. The mould would then be used to make any number of additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists, and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Portrait of Apollonio Massa (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Plaster cast, painted |
Brief description | Plaster cast, painted plaster, bust of Apollonio Massa, after a terracotta original in the Fondamento delle Convertite or della Rotonda (Venice), by Alessandro Vittori, Italy (Venice), before 1572, cast by Signor Tombola, Venice, ca. 1884 |
Physical description | A plaster cast of the terracotta model for a marble portrait of Apollonio Massa by Alessandro Vittoria. The sitter is represented in contemporary dress in the model. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label | Apollonio Massa, a physician, is depicted wearing classical-style drapery. This cast was taken from Vittoria’s terracotta model for a marble portrait of Massa. Vittoria was a leading architect and sculptor in 16th-century Venice, renowned for his portraits of important contemporary patrons.(2014) |
Object history | Purchased from Signor Tombola, Venice in 1884 for £1 10d (25 lire). |
Historical context | A cast of the terracotta model for a marble portrait of Apollonio Massa (d. 1590) formerly in the church of San Domenico di Castello in Venice, which was transferred to the Ateneo Veneto after the suppression of this church in 1807. Although the sitter is represented in contemporary dress in the model, in the final version he is shown wearing classicizing drapery. The terracotta model came from the church of the Maddalena on the Giudecca in 1822 (now the Fondamento delle Convertite or della Rotonda). Prior to its removal, the bust bore an inscription on its base: APPOLONIUS MASSA MEDICUS ET PROCURATOR MONASTERII MDLXXXVII (Apollonio Massa doctor and procurator of the monastery 1587). As the marble version is associated with an inscription of 1572, the date 1587 formerly on the base of the terracotta version must commemorate the date of its installation in the church of the Maddalena rather than that of its execution. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This plaster cast is taken from a terracotta model for a marble portrait of the physician Apollonio Massa of 1572 by Alessandro Vittoria, formerly in the church of San Domenico di Castello in Venice. Although the sitter is represented in contemporary dress in the model, in the final version he is shown wearing classicizing drapery. Alessandro Vittoria was an architect, stuccoist, sculptor of bronzes, and renowned portrait sculptor in 16th-century Venice. The cast was made by Signor Tombola, a plaster-cast maker in Venice. Plaster casts were especially sought after during the 19th century, when reproductions of great works of sculpture and architecture were thought crucial for the training of artists. A separating substance was applied to the surface of the work to be reproduced, and a plaster mould made from that. The mould would then be used to make any number of additional plaster copies. These were often sold to artists, and later in the century to art colleges for study purposes. |
Collection | |
Accession number | REPRO.1884-322 |
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Record created | December 7, 1999 |
Record URL |
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