. a marble sculpture of a female head, as if alive, as if covered with transparent, flowing silk
This bust Milanese sculptor of the 19th century Giuseppe Kroff "The Veiled Nun" - "The Veiled Nun" meets you immediately on the stairs, at the entrance to the gallery, then I went to look at it many more times when I came to Washington DC.
Then my husband tried to recreate a similar head from cold porcelain and wood http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/mi...a/post226324472 , and I was completely sure that this Washington sculpture was unique until recently until suddenly in LiveJournal with her friend uzoranet and with my reader Li-rushnaya Galina_vel found that there are such ladies, then a whole community exists in the world.
See for yourself:
This Sculpture of a Vestal Virgin in Chatsworth Written by Raffaelo Monti.
The marble bust of a Vestal Virgin under a veil was created by the Italian sculptor Raffaello Monti (1818-1881) in 1860. The bust is exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and for the English estate of Chatworth, the sculptor made the same vestal in full height.
Undine Rising from the Waters
ca. 1880-1882, by Chauncey Bradley Ives (1810-1894), Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 263
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, C.T., United States Of America
Yale University Gallery (USA), by Chauncey Bradley Ives. .
Sculpture in marble. "Undine emerging from the water", 1880,
The sculpture of the Vestal Virgin was filmed in the movie "Pride and Prejudice" 2005
The beautiful "The Veiled Virgin", at the Presentation Convent in St. John's, Newfoundland.
Giovanni Strazza (1818-1875)
White Carrara marble. Sculptor V.P. Brodzsky. 1881
Lady from the Kochubey Palace.
Marble bust with transparent veil, 20th century, Bankfield Museum -
This sculpture is given as an example of the creation optical illusion- a technique in art, the purpose of which is to create the illusion that the depicted object is in three-dimensional space, while in reality it is drawn in a two-dimensional plane.) The effect does not disappear at any angle and at any distance
The pearl of the Petrodvorets collection "The Veiled Lady" by Antonio Corradini.
The sculptor became famous for his skill in depicting faces and figures covered with a thin cloth. Acquired by Peter. This sculpture was once in full growth, but split in half and is now exhibited here in a truncated form)))
Veiled Virgin
Giovanni Strazza
Biblical Rebecca, at Salarjung Museum in India.
Giovanni Benzoni
Veiled Lady
Chatsworth,
Femme Voilée (la foi?), by Antonio Corradini, early to mid 1700s, in the Louvre
The Veiled Lady. The Gibbs Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
Beginning with late XVII century began to appear amazing sculptures hitherto unseen. They are made so finely that some contemporaries can’t even believe that they were made by ordinary, albeit very talented, masters, ordinary human hands. It's about about marble sculptures adorned with a veil. The veil, of course, is also marble.
These works are so striking in their elegance and subtlety of work that they are even seriously cited as arguments by some supporters of "non-traditional" historical theories. First of all, this concerns the works of Raphael Monti. However, he was not the pioneer on this path.
The first sculptor who managed to create that same marble veil was the Neapolitan master Antonio Corradini, born in 1668. His most famous sculpture "under the veil" is "Chastity", 1752, now located in Naples, in the Chapel of San Severo.
You may notice that in the same Chapel there is another sculpture, no less amazing - "Getting rid of the spell", which Francesco Quirolo completed in 1757. Although it has nothing to do with "marble veils", nevertheless, the imagination is no less striking - it's just incomprehensible to the mind how such a masterpiece could be created by hand.
However, returning to the topic of our material - the authorship of Corradini belongs to several more busts, made using the same technique " marble veil”, and for the creation of another work of art with a similar effect, Antonio was overtaken by death.
The master had just begun to fulfill the order of Raimondo de Sangro, Prince of San Severo, but he managed to create only a clay model of the sculpture, now known as "Christ under the Shroud." Luck in such a peculiar way smiled at another Neapolitan sculptor, Giuseppe Sammartino, whose name became famous thanks to this particular work. He somewhat changed the original ideas of Corradini, but left the essence unchanged.
The very image of Christ, the symbolism of the compositional elements and that very amazing marble veil - all this turned this work art into an imperishable masterpiece, the greatest of those that keeps the Chapel of the Princes of San Severo. Surprisingly, Giuseppe Sammartino has never created anything even approximately equal in greatness.
For almost a century, sculptors did not turn to the most complex and, at the same time, the most effective technique of the “marble veil”. "Things" in mid-nineteenth century, Giovanni Strazza distinguished himself by sculpting a bust of the Virgin Mary, using the same effect. Another similar sculpture about that same period - "Rebecca under the veil", sculptor - Giovanni Maria Benzoni. Surprisingly, no other similar works of sculptors have been preserved, and the sculptors themselves have not gained much fame.
However, another Italian sculptor, Rafael Monti, who ended up in England by the will of fate, nevertheless returned the fashion to the marble veil, so to speak. Moreover, he described technological process the creation of such sculptures, which, presumably, he learned back in his homeland, in Italy, and later successfully applied in England.
The essence was simple - Monty used a special material. He selected marble with an unusual structure, two-layer. The top layer was more transparent, the bottom layer was more dense. The effect of the veil was achieved through the finest processing, as a result of which the very “transparent” veil was obtained from the top layer of marble - such a thin layer of material remained.
The complexity of this technique in conditions where everything is done manually - try to imagine. More early masters, probably also used marble with a similar structure. The rarity of the material and the complexity of manufacturing can explain the small number of sculptures with marble veils.
In the 20th century, sculptors such as Elizabeth Ackroyd or Kevin Francis Gray also turned to the effect of the marble veil, but modern technologies, the variety of tools that have appeared and access to specialized information do not allow putting their works on a par with the works of masters previous centuries who created their masterpieces virtually by hand.
If you think about it, the titanic complexity of the works now gathering dust peacefully in the Chapel of San Severo willy-nilly suggests that we definitely do not know something about the people who created these ingenious sculptures and the conditions under which they worked. So it remains only to enjoy their beauty and marvel at the skill with which they are created, imbued with respect for human nature and the ability to create something beautiful.
Today we will get acquainted with the works of the Italian sculptor Rafael Monti 1818-1881. He was one of the sculptors who managed to create real masterpieces of vestals with a marble veil - priestesses Greek goddess Vesta. ABOUT THE ARTIST A native of Milan, he took his first steps under the guidance of his father, also a sculptor, Gaetano Matteo Monti, in Imperial Academy. He debuted early and won a gold medal for a group called "Alexander Tames Bucephalus." He and other young sculptors belonged to the Lombard school, which dominated Italian sculpture in the first half of the nineteenth century. He worked for some time in Vienna and Milan, made his first visit to England in 1846, but returned to Italy again in 1847 and joined the People's Party, became one of the chief officers of the National Guard. After the disastrous failure of the Risorgimento campaign of 1848, he again fled from Italy to England. His career in England was very successful and fruitful. Monty's work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and he soon earned recognition as a leading sculptor. His Prize and Medal-winning Eve after the Fall was particularly fine, but two other sculptures in the exhibition, Slave Circassian and Vestal, the finest in technique, became his trademark: the fine workmanship of hard marble figures wrapped in sheer veils. The Vestal Virgin, purchased in 1847 by the Duke of Devonshire before the exhibition began, and The Dream of Sorrow and the Joy of a Dream, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. A LITTLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE VESTALS. I thought it was interesting. Vestals - priestesses of the goddess Vesta Ancient Rome who enjoyed great respect and honor. Their person was inviolable. Vestals were freed from paternal authority, had the right to own property and dispose of it at their discretion. Anyone who insulted a Vestal in any way, for example, tried to slip under her stretcher, was punishable by death. A lictor walked ahead of the vestals, under certain conditions the vestals had the right to ride in chariots. If they met on the way a criminal led to execution, they had the right to pardon him. The duties of the vestals included maintaining the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta, keeping the temple clean, making sacrifices to Vesta and the Penates, guarding the palladium and other shrines. Newly entering the Vestal community was first of all introduced into the atrium of the temple of Vesta, where her hair was cut off and hung up as a donation to sacred tree, which in the era of Pliny the Elder was already more than 500 years old. Then the young vestal was dressed in all white, called her the name "Beloved", which was added to her name and initiated her into new duties. The term of service was 30 years, divided in equal parts for training, direct service and teaching others (mentoring). After these years, the Vestal Virgin became free and could marry. However, the latter happened extremely rarely, since there was a belief that marriage with a vestal would not lead to good, and besides, when she got married, the former vestal lost her social and property status, unique for a Roman woman, and became an ordinary matron, completely dependent on her husband, Which, of course, didn't work for her. The Vestal Virgins were very wealthy, mainly due to their possession of large estates, which provided a large income, in addition to which each personally received a significant amount from her family at the initiation and received generous gifts from the emperors. In the year 24, when Cornelia entered the ranks of the Vestals, Tiberius gave her 2 million sesterces. All the time of the ministry, the vestals had to maintain a chaste lifestyle, its violation was severely punished. It was believed that Rome could not take on such a sin as the execution of a Vestal Virgin, so they were punished by being buried alive (on a field located within the city at the Colline Gate on the Quirinal) with a small supply of food, which formally was not death penalty and the seducer was flogged to death. The Vestal Virgin, guilty of breaking her vows, was placed in a litter tightly closed and tied with straps so that even her voice could not be heard, and carried through the forum. Everyone silently made way for her and accompanied her, without saying a word, in deep grief. For the city there was no more terrible sight, there was no day sadder than this. When the stretcher was brought to the appointed place, the slaves untied the straps. The high priest recited a mysterious prayer, raised his hands to the sky before the execution, ordered the criminal to be brought up, with a thick veil on her face, placed on the stairs leading to the dungeon, and then retired along with other priests. When the vestal descended, the ladder was taken away, the hole was covered from above with a mass of earth, and the place of execution becomes just as level as the rest. The institution of the Vestal Virgins lasted until approximately 391, when Emperor Theodosius banned public pagan worship. After that, the sacred fire was extinguished, the temple of Vesta was closed, and the institute of vestals was disbanded. THE MOST FAMOUS WORKS OF MONTI.
He was one of the sculptors who managed to create real masterpieces of vestals with a marble veil - the priestesses of the Greek goddess Vesta. Italian sculptor Raphael Monti 1818-1881
R. Monti. Veiled lady.
A native of Milan, Rafael Monti took his first steps under the guidance of his father, also a sculptor, Gaetano Matteo Monti, at the Imperial Academy. He debuted early and won a gold medal for a group called "Alexander Tames Bucephalus." Monti and other young sculptors belonged to the Lombard school, which dominated Italian sculpture in the first half of the nineteenth century. He worked for some time in Vienna and Milan, made his first visit to England in 1846, but returned to Italy again in 1847 and joined the People's Party, became one of the chief officers of the National Guard. After the disastrous failure of the Risorgimento campaign of 1848, he again fled from Italy to England. His career in England was very successful and fruitful. Monty's work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and he soon earned recognition as a leading sculptor.
Raffaelle Monty, The Bride, original marble, 1847
His Prize and Medal-winning Eve after the Fall was particularly fine, but two other sculptures in the exhibition, Slave Circassian and Vestal, the finest in technique, became his trademark: the fine workmanship of hard marble figures wrapped in sheer veils.
Vestal
The Vestal Virgin, purchased in 1847 by the Duke of Devonshire before the exhibition began, and The Dream of Sorrow and the Joy of a Dream, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Sleep of sorrow and joy of dreams. London 1861.
To create the effect of a thin veil that can move at the slightest breath of the breeze, great skill is required. Although the technique of veils in sculpture has been known since Ancient Greece, in the entire history of only a few artists have managed to achieve perfection in this art. Monty was one of the sculptors who managed to create the feeling that his statues were covered with the finest fabric.
A veil ennobles, making a woman attractive and desirable, because she is inaccessible under a veil. And for centuries they have been admiring this beauty and do not understand how it is done.
The art of Raphael Monti - his marble veils make you think. It seems that two opposites - soft transparent silk and the hardest and most opaque stone - are united in the works of a talented master...
Raffaelle Monty, The Bride, original in marble, 1847 (Bride. Original in marble, 1847)
Rafal Monty. The Veiled Vestal Virgin, 1847 , Chatsworth House in North Derbyshire, England
We continue the theme of the masters of the marble veil. Today we will get acquainted with the works of the Italian sculptor Rafael Monti 1818-1881.
He was one of the sculptors who managed to create real masterpieces of vestals with a marble veil - the priestesses of the Greek goddess Vesta.
ABOUT THE SCULPTOR.
A native of Milan, he took his first steps under the guidance of his father, also a sculptor, Gaetano Matteo Monti, at the Imperial Academy. He debuted early and won a gold medal for a group called "Alexander Tames Bucephalus."
He and other young sculptors belonged to the Lombard school, which dominated Italian sculpture in the first half of the nineteenth century. He worked for some time in Vienna and Milan, made his first visit to England in 1846, but returned to Italy again in 1847 and joined the People's Party, became one of the chief officers of the National Guard.
After the disastrous failure of the liberation movement in 1848, he again fled from Italy to England.
His career in England was very successful and fruitful. Monty's work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and he soon earned recognition as a leading sculptor.
His “Eve after the Fall”, awarded a prize and a medal, was especially good, but two other sculptures in the exhibition, “Circassian slave trader” and “Vestal”, the best in technique, became his calling card: Fine workmanship of solid marble figures wrapped in transparent veils.
The Vestal Virgin, purchased in 1847 by the Duke of Devonshire before the exhibition began, and The Dream of Sorrow and the Joy of a Dream, is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The sculpture of the Vestal, which you see in the illustration, depicts a priestess of Vesta covered with a veil - a vestal. Vesta - the Roman goddess-keeper of the sacred fire, symbolizing the center of life - the state, city, home. It was believed that in any fire there is a particle of the spirit of Vesta.
Soft flowing folds are so skillfully carved by the sculptor that they come to life in the rays of the sun, letting in light. The effect is enhanced by the contrast with the unpolished wreath of wildflowers. The marble in the front part is amazingly clean, has practically no visible defects and inclusions, revealing all its nobility and beauty.
Historical background
Vestals - the priestesses of the goddess Vesta in ancient Rome, who enjoyed great respect and honor. Their person was inviolable. Vestals were freed from paternal authority, had the right to own property and dispose of it at their discretion.
Anyone who insulted a Vestal in any way, for example, tried to slip under her stretcher, was punishable by death. A lictor walked ahead of the vestals, under certain conditions the vestals had the right to ride in chariots. If they met on the way a criminal led to execution, they had the right to pardon him.
The duties of the vestals included maintaining the sacred fire in the temple of Vesta, keeping the temple clean, making sacrifices to Vesta and the Penates, guarding the palladium and other shrines.
Newly entering the Vestal community was first of all introduced into the atrium of the temple of Vesta, where her hair was cut off and hung as a donation on a sacred tree, which in the era of Pliny the Elder was already more than 500 years old. Then the young vestal was dressed in all white, called her the name "Beloved", which was added to her name and initiated her into new duties.
The term of service was 30 years, divided in equal parts for training, direct service and teaching others (mentoring). After these years, the Vestal Virgin became free and could marry.
However, the latter happened extremely rarely, since there was a belief that marriage with a vestal would not lead to good, and besides, when she got married, the former vestal lost her social and property status, unique for a Roman woman, and became an ordinary matron, completely dependent on her husband, Which, of course, didn't work for her.
The Vestal Virgins were very wealthy, mainly due to their possession of large estates, which provided a large income, in addition to which each personally received a significant amount from her family at the initiation and received generous gifts from the emperors. In the year 24, when Cornelia entered the ranks of the Vestals, Tiberius gave her 2 million sesterces.
All the time of the ministry, the vestals had to maintain a chaste lifestyle, its violation was severely punished. It was believed that Rome could not take on such a sin as the execution of a vestal, so they were punished by being buried alive (on a field located in the city at the Collin Gate on the Quirinal) with a small supply of food, which was not formally a death penalty, and the seducer was spotted to death.
The Vestal Virgin, guilty of breaking her vows, was placed in a litter tightly closed and tied with straps so that even her voice could not be heard, and carried through the forum.
Everyone silently made way for her and accompanied her, without saying a word, in deep grief. For the city there was no more terrible sight, there was no day sadder than this. When the stretcher was brought to the appointed place, the slaves untied the straps.
The high priest recited a mysterious prayer, raised his hands to the sky before the execution, ordered the criminal to be brought up, with a thick veil on her face, placed on the stairs leading to the dungeon, and then retired along with other priests. When the vestal descended, the ladder was taken away, the hole was covered from above with a mass of earth, and the place of execution becomes just as level as the rest.
The institution of the Vestal Virgins lasted until approximately 391, when Emperor Theodosius banned public pagan worship. After that, the sacred fire was extinguished, the temple of Vesta was closed, and the institute of vestals was disbanded.
OTHER WORKS OF MONTI.
The Veiled Vestal Virgin, 1847 , Chatsworth House in North Derbyshire, England
R. Monty.
Veiled lady.
Raffaelle Monti, The Bride, original in marble, 1847
Sleep of sorrow and joy of dreams. London 1861.
Night. 1862
Circassian slave. 1851
Marble Bust of a Veiled Maiden Signed By Raffaello Monti
Parian porcelain bust "love" by Raphael Monti. Issued by the Ceramic and Crystal Palace of the Union of Artists, and exhibited at International Exhibition in London 1872.
Test with other works
ARTICLES ABOUT OTHER MARBLE VEIL MASTERS:
Masterpieces of marble veil. Antonio Corrardini
An unrivaled masterpiece in Cristo velato marble
