Description
BUST OF PIE VII as a pontiff (1800-1823) Italy, early 19th century Scagliola H. 96 cm, W. 58 cm, D. 21 cm Medallion with the coat of arms of Pius VII, in 1, with the patriarchal cross on a mount, the three letters PAX on the whole; in 2, with three Moorish heads in a band and a chief charged with three six-pointed stars, rows 1 and 2. Monogrammed on the back: E.G in a rhombus This bust in scagliola, placed on a yellow marble base with black veins, represents Pius VII, elected pope in Venice on March 14, 1800. The coat of arms visible on the medallion that closes the lace holding the two sides of his stole on his ermine-bordered mantle, from which the collar of his cassock protrudes, allows us to identify the pontiff with certainty. Our model is wearing the same outfit as in all his official portraits, with the exception of the medallion, which is not found anywhere else, and the embroidery on the stole, which changes each time. He has neither the worried look of Canova's model (fig. 1), nor the hieratic attitude of Deseine's busts (fig. 2-3) The thick curls of hair escaping from his headdress or the pleating of his garment have their sources in the paintings by Wicar or David, commissioned by Napoleon, and widely disseminated through engravings (fig. 4). Here, however, he appears reflective and younger than his sixty years. Our sculptor has drawn a double physical and moral portrait of Pius VII, born Chiaramonti (1742-1823). Through the coat of arms, he has underlined his noble origins; through his reflective att itude, his qualities as a fi ne strategist. This pope, steeped in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, maintained an ambivalent relationship with the French state. Although he disagreed with Napoleon Bonaparte's concordat projects, he celebrated the Imperial coronation at Notre Dame in Paris in 1804. Imprisoned by the Emperor in 1809, he resolved to sign the Concordat of Fontainebleau in 1813 but withdrew. The following year, he entered Rome in triumph. After having been a captive of the French, he established his authority on the European political scene by interceding on Napoleon's behalf to improve the conditions of his imprisonment on St. Helena and by welcoming the exiled imperial family into his regained papal states.
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BUST OF PIE VII as a pontiff (1800-1823) Italy, early 19th century Scagliola H. 96 cm, W. 58 cm, D. 21 cm Medallion with the coat of arms of Pius VII, in 1, with the patriarchal cross on a mount, the three letters PAX on the whole; in 2, with three Moorish heads in a band and a chief charged with three six-pointed stars, rows 1 and 2. Monogrammed on the back: E.G in a rhombus This bust in scagliola, placed on a yellow marble base with black veins, represents Pius VII, elected pope in Venice on March 14, 1800. The coat of arms visible on the medallion that closes the lace holding the two sides of his stole on his ermine-bordered mantle, from which the collar of his cassock protrudes, allows us to identify the pontiff with certainty. Our model is wearing the same outfit as in all his official portraits, with the exception of the medallion, which is not found anywhere else, and the embroidery on the stole, which changes each time. He has neither the worried look of Canova's model (fig. 1), nor the hieratic attitude of Deseine's busts (fig. 2-3) The thick curls of hair escaping from his headdress or the pleating of his garment have their sources in the paintings by Wicar or David, commissioned by Napoleon, and widely disseminated through engravings (fig. 4). Here, however, he appears reflective and younger than his sixty years. Our sculptor has drawn a double physical and moral portrait of Pius VII, born Chiaramonti (1742-1823). Through the coat of arms, he has underlined his noble origins; through his reflective att itude, his qualities as a fi ne strategist. This pope, steeped in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, maintained an ambivalent relationship with the French state. Although he disagreed with Napoleon Bonaparte's concordat projects, he celebrated the Imperial coronation at Notre Dame in Paris in 1804. Imprisoned by the Emperor in 1809, he resolved to sign the Concordat of Fontainebleau in 1813 but withdrew. The following year, he entered Rome in triumph. After having been a captive of the French, he established his authority on the European political scene by interceding on Napoleon's behalf to improve the conditions of his imprisonment on St. Helena and by welcoming the exiled imperial family into his regained papal states.
