Brucciani Plaster Foot

Name: Brucciani Plaster Foot
SKU: MJGTA0076
Availability: InStock

£950

A rare large plaster foot of The Laocoon, after the antique, attributed to Domenico Brucciani & Co, London, circa 1880, stamped number ‘2487’.

Domenico Brucciani & Co. (1882-1906) was a business set up by Joseph L. Caproni at 148 Grays Inn Road as a continuation of the modelling, plaster cast and teaching work carried out by Domenico Brucciani (1815-1880). Domenico was born in Lucca, Italy, and set up business in London, establishing a Gallery of Casts in Covent Garden by 1837. His business built up links with both the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum.

The Laocoön group is one of the most famous pieces of Hellenistic sculpture, described by Michaelangelo as a ‘miracle of art’. It was found in Rome in 1506 and placed on public display in the Vatican, where it remains.

Laocoön, a Trojan priest of Apollo, and his sons struggle with two flesh-eating snakes, sent as a divine punishment. The priest had warned the Trojans against accepting the wooden horse sent by the Greeks and incurred the anger of Poseidon (some say Athena) who was supporting the Greeks. While struggling against the snakes, Laocoön supports himself against the altar on which he had been making a sacrifice. His head is turned back with a grimace of pain which is combined with the horror at the death of his sons, the exertion of his struggle and the awareness of his own imminent death.

SKU: MJGTA0076 Category: Grand Tour

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Dimensions: 31cm high, 31cm wide, 22cm deep; the plinth base 29 x 15cm

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Footnote

The Grand Tour of the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries saw many upper class, wealthy and aristocratic gentlemen travel to Italy and Europe, particularly Rome, Venice and Florence, for pleasure, education and inspiration. This afforded them the opportunity to view important classical and Renaissance works of art and architecture.

The term ‘Grand Tour’ was coined by the Catholic priest and travel writer Richard Lassels (circa 1603-68), who used it in his influential guidebook The Voyage of Italy, published in 1670, to describe young lords travelling abroad to learn about art, architecture and antiquity.

Robert Adam wrote of Rome in 1755, ‘Rome is the most glorious place in the universal world. A grandeur and tranquillity reigns in it, everywhere noble and striking remains of antiquity appear in it, which are so many that one who has spent a dozen years in seeing is still surprised with something new…’

Many Grand tourists collected souvenirs in the form of bronze and marble models of sculpture and architecture, and formed collections of Grand Tour objects for their English country houses, most notably Chatsworth House.