 |
|
The Death of Adonis, 1709
Giuseppe Mazzuoli, c.1644-1725
Marble; h 193 cm
The subject is taken from from Ovid's Metamorphoses. This sculpture
represents the tragic death of the beautiful youth Adonis, beloved of the goddess Venus,
during a wild boar hunt. According to Mazzuoli's contemporaries, the sculptor worked for
more than 30 years on the creation of this group. Begun in the 17th century, and completed
in the early 18th, it is a typical example of the decorative sculpture of the late Baroque
period. Mazzuoli replaced the genuine dramatic quality characteristic of the works of
Bernini, his teacher, with stylized, almost theatrical pathos.
 |