Corbel with Triton and Nereid

Object belonging

One's own

Category

Terracotta sculpture

City

Rome

Location

Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia

Specific location

Room 21

Inventory

PV 05790

Material and technique

Terracotta/ patina

Author

Anonymous

Dating

End of 17th century

Dimensions

26 x 24.5 x 12 cm

Origin

E. Pietrangeli (1932)

Image copyright

SSPSAE e per il Polo Museale della città di Roma

Short description

This small terracotta is executed as a high relief on which the figures of Triton and a Nereid stand out, fitting the tight space of the cornice and the elaborate scrolls. Triton, with a flowing beard and thick hair, is depicted in the form of a telamon, with the head bowed and the left arm raised to hold a corbel; the Nereid, with delicate features and hair blown by the sea wind, looks up and with her right hand holds the edge of the cornice. Their tails join at the bottom of the composition and form a frame around a mask, which has a flat nose and a frowning expression, but has suffered some damage, with a deep crack on the right side and the loss of the lower part of the mouth. The work is catalogued as a console but the small size of the platform might suggest too that it was designed to be translated in stucco for the angular section of an arch. The work has traditionally attributed to a Roman sculptor active in the second half of the 17th century, but it might, alternatively, be postdated to the end of that century and the beginning of the 18th, given the complex and flowery form of the cornice, which almost outshines the figurative element. The two nautical demi-gods also bear some characteristics that suggest a different geographical origin; in particular they evoke a Genoese style and the vibrant sculpture of Francesco Maria Schiaffino (1688-1763), the author of a splendid statue of Neptune, which recently surfaced on the Florence art market (Sotheby’s, Florence 12-15 October 2009), and bears a notable resemblance to the Triton here.

Cristiano Giometti 

Bibliography

Unpublished