Giovanni Bonazza
Pagoda Figures, Veneto, ca. 1700
marble
height 42 and 36 cm
height 16 1/2 and 14 1/4 in
Expertise by Simone Guerriero
height 16 1/2 and 14 1/4 in
Expertise by Simone Guerriero
inscribed 1943/86.2.80 and 1943/85.2.81 in black ink on the reverse of each element
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These two comical chinoiserie figures appear to be additions to Bonazza's pair of grotesque Chinamen in the library of the University of Padua. All four marbles represent Western interpretations of...
These two comical chinoiserie figures appear to be additions to Bonazza's pair of grotesque Chinamen in the library of the University of Padua. All four marbles represent Western interpretations of Chinese mythological figures, including such characters as the beggar god Chi Kung. Each figure is characterised by its dwarf-like proportions, corpulent frame clothed in heavy drapery and its broad grin. Variations in the bases and the seating position suggest that the two pairs were not intended as a set of four.
The fascination for all things Chinese spread throughout Europe around 1700 and similar pagoda figures can be found in Meissen and Chantilly porcelain. Their execution in marble, however, seems to have been solely attempted by Bonazza, who also produced similar representations of Indians for his patrons around Padua.
The fascination for all things Chinese spread throughout Europe around 1700 and similar pagoda figures can be found in Meissen and Chantilly porcelain. Their execution in marble, however, seems to have been solely attempted by Bonazza, who also produced similar representations of Indians for his patrons around Padua.
Literature
A. N. Cellini, La scultura del settecento, Turin, 1982, p. 174;
C. Semenzato, La scultura Veneto del seicento e del settecento, Venice, 1966, p. 120, no. 148.
S. Guerriero, 'Pair of Chinese Pagoda Figures,' in A. Bacchi, ed., A Taste For Sculpture V, London 2018, pp. 56-70, no. 9-10 (ill).
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