Hi tabletop,
Thank you for a most interesting question; one I thoroughly enjoyed researching.
The name of the famous sculptor is Bertel Thorvaldsen. The following
are excerpts in reference to the monument of Pope Pius VII in St.
Peter's Basilica, Rome.
"The most famous artist of the period, the sculptor Bertel
Thorvaldsen, did not concern himself with Nordic themes, but derived
his inspiration from Antiquity. Resident in Rome 1797-1838,
Thorvaldsen was the first Danish artist to achieve a place in the
history of European art. His unique reputation was an inspiration in
his native land, also after his death, not least through the museum
that was built in Copenhagen 1839-48 to house his works and
collections. Thorvaldsen's first great success, Jason (1802-03) was
followed by a large number of other works from ancient mythology as
well as monuments such as the equestrian statue of Prince Poniatowski
in Warsaw and the monument to Pope Pius VII in St Peter's Church in
Rome..."
Royal Danish Embassy
http://www.danishembassy.ro/page.php?id=69
"The Funerary of this Pope has a story. The Pope in question, wanted
the very best sculptor of the day and ended up hiring a non-Catholic.
The bishops were up in arms - how could he do such a thing!?! The Pope
pacified the bishops by telling the sculptor that he could not sign
his work. The sculptor had the last word on the subject. When the Pope
died and the Funerary was unveiled the sculptor had put his own face
on the statue instead of the Pope's."
McIlrath Home Page
http://users.mo-net.com/regmac/italy7.htm
"To finish this quick tour of inside of St Peter's, this funny story
about Pope Pious VII's memorial: he could not find a good enough
Catholic sculptor, and so he turned to a Protestant one (a Dutchman),
but warned him that he couldn't sign his name on the monument because
of his religion. The sculptor accepted nevertheless. Once it was
ready, the great unveiling took place -- and the crowd fell into peals
of laughter, because the face of the memorial's Pope figure was not
that of Pious VII, it was the sculptor's own portrait!"
Cedarseed
http://www.cedarseed.com/journeys/myitaly8.html
Tomb of Pope Pius VII (1831)
"This was one of those stories that made you glad you came to the
Vatican. Our guide stopped us here to show us a monument built for
Pope Pius VII. They commissioned the work late in the Pope?s life, and
decided to be worldly, crossing religious boundaries by hiring a
Protestant Danish artist, Bertel Thorvaldsen, to do the work. Well,
halfway through the sculpture, they told the artist about the cardinal
rule of the Vatican: you?re not allowed to sign your work. It?s a
house of God and you should be humble, it shouldn?t matter if you get
credit for it or not. The artist was understandably mad, and upset
that they didn?t mention this fact before he started to work on the
statue. They pleaded with him to finish the monument, and he did. So
upon the unveiling, the little old Pope, hunched over on his cane,
with his cardinals lined up behind him watched as they pulled the
draping off his statue. Now the artist abided by the no signing rule,
but he put his own face on the statue
instead of the Pope?s! Needless to say, that was the last Protestant
artist commissioned to sculpt a monument in St. Peter?s."
mberglun: Honeymoon Stories - Rome
http://shrike.voidwhichbinds.net/~mberglun/Honeymoon_stories.htm
Biographies of Bertel Thorvaldsen
Thorvaldsen Museum
http://www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/page47.aspx
Answers.com: Bertel Thorvaldsen
http://www.answers.com/topic/bertel-thorvaldsen
Search criteria:
pope sculpture "own face" sculptor
"pope pius" "st. peters" "own face" sculptor
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pope angered sculptor
"pope pius" "own head OR face" sculptor
pope face "non catholic" sculptor
pope face sculptor "st peter's"
"pope pius VII" face sculptor "st peter's"
"bertel thorvaldsen" "pope pius"
"bertel thorvaldsen" "pope pius" face
I hope the information provided is helpful. If you have any questions
regarding my answer please don?t hesitate to ask before rating it.
Best regards,
Rainbow |
