[stag_toggle style=”normal” title=”Piece details” state=”closed”]Decorative piece “Slaves”
Author: Giuseppe Michieli, Venice, 1866
Cast bronze, chiseled
H- 140 cm; L- 36 cm[/stag_toggle]
The Italian art world experienced a revival of earlier decorative styles in the 19th century. The works of the great masters of the Renaissance period were successfully brought into the current context of the historicist era.
The rich heritage enjoyed by Peleș Castle is composed of works created in various eras, among which a small number of bronze pieces stand out, from the museum's fine art collection, made by the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Michieli.
The talented Venetian artist, Giuseppe Michieli, a leading exponent of the world of major Italian arts, was born at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, in 1800. His creations happily completed the rich heritage of the peninsula, his fame exceeding the borders of his homeland. The artistic works signed by Michieli surprised lovers of beauty with their harmony and expressiveness. In his works, the original is easily noticeable, combined in a balanced way with elements inspired by the plays of Italian authors from the 15th and 16th centuries. Following the fashion of the time, imposed in the decorative arts in the mid-19th century, in addition to original creations, Michieli sometimes limited himself to making faithful copies of works from previous periods, executed with great meticulousness. The success he achieved during his long career – he lived to be 100 years old – was due not only to the master's innate talent, but also to his diligent research into the works of his compatriots from previous eras. Michieli's preference for the works of Jacopo Sansovino (1486-1570) and Niccolo Roccatagliata (active 1590-1636) is evident in his own achievements.
The sculptures copied from Jacopo Sansovino, whose real name was Jacopo DʼAntonio Tatti (the name Sansovino took after the death of his master, Andrea Sansovino) were made on a small scale, some of them being exhibited in the halls of the Peleș National Museum, such as Apollo and Mercury. The original works signed by Sansovino are still found in Venice. From Roccatagliata's creations, the Venetian artist was inspired for the shape and decoration of the triangular bases of the candlesticks and lampshades. The in-depth studies of the works of these humanist artists led Giuseppe Michieli to execute perfect works, characterized by beauty and grace.
Among his most famous creations, in the realization of which he collaborated with his son, Guglielmo, is the project "Victor", which aimed to create a monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi. The statue of the Italian politician, 3 meters high, was made in the Venice foundry of Giuseppe Michieli. The monument was inaugurated on August 29, 1886 in the Garibaldi square in Udine, where it still stands today.
The same Venetian workshop patronized by Giuseppe Michieli enriched the parietal decoration of the Church of Saint Anthony in Padua with four bronze statues representing Saint Louis of Toulouse, Saint Francis, Saint Anthony and Saint Bonaventure.
The remarkable interest he gave to each artistic creation, combined with his special talent, propelled Giuseppe Michieli into the ranks of the established creators of the era. After developing the preliminary sketches, the Venetian artist was involved in the entire process of creating the piece. The Italian artist's persistent work became increasingly appreciated with his participation in major exhibitions organized in Italy and abroad. At the Universal Exhibition in Paris, in 1867, Giuseppe Michieli participated with chandeliers, illustrated in the exhibition catalog Art Journal, published in London., p.263
The year 1881 would bring him the much-desired trophy that crowned his entire artistic activity. At the Milan Exhibition, Michieli received the gold medal for making bronze copies after Jacopo Sansovino.
Interested in the Italian artist's work, King Carol I purchased for his summer residence in Sinaia two special decorative pieces, 140 cm high, 36 cm wide, signed by Giuseppe Michieli. The pieces enrich the decoration of the Staircase of Honor that connects the Official Entrance and the Hall of Honor, being displayed on either side of the railing.
The three reduced legs in the shape of griffin claws, supporting the triangular base, with concave sides, decorated in overlapping registers with acanthus leaves, vegetal volutes and ova, are reminiscent of the creations of Niccolo Roccatagliata.
The obelisk-shaped body is formed by successively retreating segments. At the bottom, three sphinxes with coiled tails frame three rectangular cartouches, decorated in relief with symbols of Venice: the lion of San Marco holding an open book with an inscription in Latin, an imprisoned couple and a draped female character, an allegory of trade, sitting on a rectangular box with an inscription and date (Venice, 1866), with an anchor next to them. On the heads of the sphinxes, three male characters, in ronde-bosse, partially draped, with their arms chained, rest their feet. The lion protomes supporting the anores for fixing the chains are placed at the base of the upper segment composed of three chimeras. Six male characters in ronde-bosse, of which only three draped are captured in counterclockwise motion. At the top, three griffins delimit the segment formed by three putti at the bottom. The circular disc supports the balustrade with the golden sphere, finished with the symbol of Venice, the winged lion of San Marco supporting with its claws the shield with the inscription "S. MARCO".
The decorative piece made by Michieli in patinated bronze in 1866 was probably the prototype of the chandelier with which the Venetian artist participated in the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867. In the event's catalog, Giuseppe Michieli is characterized by art critics of the time as "a distinguished artist-manufacturer of Venice".