Portrait of Apollonio Massa thumbnail 1
Portrait of Apollonio Massa thumbnail 2
+6
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Cast Courts, Room 46b, The Weston Cast Court

Portrait of Apollonio Massa

Bust
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.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePortrait 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
  • Height: 80.5cm
  • Width: 48.5cm
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

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdDecember 7, 1999
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest