Made from bright porcelain, this large Jardinière has a frieze covering its body, which is a decorative reworking of The Triumph of Galatea in bronze, made at the end of the eighteenth century by Late-Baroque Florentine sculptor Massimiliano Soldani Benzi. The molded upper part, meanwhile, reflects the sobriety typical of the nineteenth century. The theme of the decoration is The Triumph of Venus and Love.
GIARDINIERA - 014 6064 00000 - h cm 60 - inch 23 1/2 GIARDINIERA BISCUIT - 014 6065 00000 - h cm 60 - inch 23 1/2
Originally the stand and the four candelabra depicting the four seasons were part of a dessert set and were accompanied by plates decorated with coral stems. This is how they were described in the list of works presented at the 1867 Paris Exposition. The stand and one of the candelabra can be recognised in an entry in the exhibition brochure. The candelabra and the stand were also presented on their own at the Vienna Exposition in 1873, as ‘table décor’ or centre pieces. In one article about the Exposition, their creator, the ceramicist and culptor Jafet Torelli, was also named.
ALZATA CON CANDELABRO - 014 6066 00000 - h cm 85 - inch 33 1/2 ALZATA CON CANDELABRO BISCUIT - 014 6067 00000 - h cm 85 - inch 33 1/2
Each of the four candelabra displays a season on one side, personified by a female figure whose dress varies according to the time of year she represents. The springtime figure is adorning her hair with flowers. Summer is pictured as she raises her sickle to rise above the putti surrounding her. At her feet lies a sheaf of wheat.
AUTUNNO - 014 6083 00000 - h cm 75 - inch 29 1/2 AUTUNNO BISCUIT - 014 6084 00000 - h cm 75 - inch 29 1/2
This is the first of a pair of vases, “Galatea” and “Nettuno”, which were presented at the 1861 Italian Exposition and at the 1867 Paris Exposition. They are based on bronze vases made by late-Baroque Florentine sculptor Massimiliano Soldani Benzi between 1695 and 1700. They are currently preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
VASO BROCCA GALATEA - 014 6073 00000 - h cm 77 - inch 30 1/3
At the Richard-Ginori Museum at the Doccia Factory you can admire the wax cast of this vase, which came to the factory in the 1740s when the factory’s founder, Marquis Calo Ginori, bought a series of wax casts from Soldani Benzi’s son for use as moulds for porcelain-making.
VASO BROCCA NETTUNO - 014 6079 00000 - h cm 77 - inch 30 1/3
