Veiled Rebecca

Last updated
The Veiled Rebecca
Italian: Rebecca Velata
The Veiled Rebecca.jpg
The Veiled Rebecca displayed at the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India
Artist Giovanni Maria Benzoni
Year1863
TypeSculpture
MediumMarble
Dimensions160 cm× 58 cm× 50 cm(64 in× 23 in× 19.5 in)

The Veiled Rebecca or The Veiled Rebekah is a 19th century sculpture carved out of marble in Italian neoclassical style by the sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni.The sculpture is also referred as The Veiled Lady in several records. It depicts a biblical figure of Rebecca placed on a marble pedestal. [1]

Contents

Originally several copies of the sculpture were made by Benzoni in two different sizes. Presently, location of five sculptures are identified - High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, listed in the catalog as The Veiled Rebekah and dated 1864, [2] Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Dated c. 1866, [3] Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan (This smaller version (113 cm tall) is listed in the catalog as The Veiled Lady and dated 1872), [4] Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India. Dated 1876 (three years after Benzoni's death). [5] Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mount Vernon, Illinois. [6] ) The one located in Detroit Institute of Arts, is the smaller version. [7]

The statue was described in a 19th-century English art journal: "Benzoni, the fashionable Roman sculptor, whose studio has been visited by a number of crowned heads, exhibits in his suite of showrooms, several replicas in different sizes of his Diana, his veiled Rebecca before her meeting with Isaac, the 'Four Seasons', etc." [8]

Description

Benzoni executed principal version of the work in 1863 for Robert Henry Winttie of London. [4] The sculpture depicts an Old Testament scene, where Rebecca lays eyes on her husband Isaac for the first time. [3] Rebecca's head is bowed and her gaze is lowered as she secures her veil indicating demure modesty, although her other hand partially opens up in a welcoming gesture. [5] The fringed veil drapes over her face, head and shoulder, and dangled unevenly above her feet. Her translucent attire further highlights the contour of her body. The illusion of a diaphanous veil and clinging dress created by the craftsmanship of Benzoni are the most noteworthy and skillful aspects of the sculpture. [6]

History

As per the records of a bulletin from Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Michigan, 37 versions of the composition was made in two sizes [9] whereas Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture by Alison Lee Palmer states that there are five copies of the sculpture. [10] Location of the five versions of the statues mentioned by Alison Lee Palmer have been mentioned above.

Mir Osman Ali Khan and Salar Jung III, along with various noblemen standing around the Veiled Rebecca, Diwan Deori Mir Osman Ali Khan and Salar Jung III, along with various noblemen standing around the Veiled Rebecca, Diwan Deori.jpg
Mir Osman Ali Khan and Salar Jung III, along with various noblemen standing around the Veiled Rebecca, Diwan Deori

Salarjung I Mir Turab Ali Khan Bahadur acquired the sculpture during his trip to Italy in Rome. During the same visit, he also acquired the famous wooden sculpture, Mephistopheles and Margaretta. The Veiled Rebecca was displayed was originally displayed in the Chini Khana inside the Dewan Devdi, Hyderabad. Chini Khana was a unique room, where all the walls were covered with antique Chinese plates, cups, saucers and silver plates displayed in shelves. [11] In 1951, the Devdi was converted into Salarjung Museum and the sculpture stood in its original position, but in 1968, it was moved into the new Salarjung Museum and Dewan Devdi was gradually demolished over the years. [12]

Style

The Veiled Rebecca is an example of the neoclassical naturalist style, popular during the 19th century. [13] The Veiled Lady, or Rebecca shows how Antonio Canova's and other Neoclassical sculptors' work had an influence on Benzoni as well as how well-versed he was in earlier eighteenth-century sculptural style. As Boström noted, veiled figures first appeared in post-classical art in the eighteenth century. Canova produced various female figures with translucent attire and drapes in the nineteenth century, including Hebe. Later Milanese sculptor Raffaelle Monti created Seated Veiled Woman displayed at London's Great Exhibition of 1851 and then Veiled Woman in 1854 to continued to explore this veiled female form. Benzoni was acquainted with Monti and was present in London in 1851. [14]

Veiled women were a popular sculptural motif among Benzoni and his peers in 19th-century Italy for a number of reasons. The first was that these works highlighted the artistry of the sculptor since achieving the illusion that stone is fabric clinging to a body requires a high level of skill. Secondly, a veiled woman had become an allegory for Italian unification. [15]

See also

Notes

  1. Darr, Alan P.; Roney, Lara Lea (2020-01-01). "The Reach of Antonio Canova's "Angelic Hand": A New Acquisition and Reflections of Canova's Legacy in European Neoclassical Sculpture". Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts. 94 (1): 74–91. doi:10.1086/714902. ISSN   0011-9636.
  2. "The Veiled Rebekah". High Museum of Art. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  3. 1 2 "Sculpture". Bershire Museum. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  4. 1 2 "The Veiled Lady". Detroit Institute of Arts. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  5. 1 2 "Veiled Rebekah". Museums of India. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  6. 1 2 "Creativity redefined: Founders of Cedarhurst Center for the Arts bestowed an appreciation of fine art". Life & Style in Southern Illinois. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  7. Darr, Alan P.; Roney, Lara Lea (2020-01-01). "The Reach of Antonio Canova's "Angelic Hand": A New Acquisition and Reflections of Canova's Legacy in European Neoclassical Sculpture". Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts. 94 (1): 74–91. doi:10.1086/714902. ISSN   0011-9636.
  8. MH 1872, p. 132.
  9. Darr, Alan P.; Roney, Lara Lea (2020-01-01). "The Reach of Antonio Canova's "Angelic Hand": A New Acquisition and Reflections of Canova's Legacy in European Neoclassical Sculpture". Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts. 94 (1): 74–91. doi:10.1086/714902. ISSN   0011-9636.
  10. Palmer, Allison Lee (2020-05-15). Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-5381-3359-0.
  11. Dadabhoy, Bakhtiar K. (2019-12-13). The Magnificent Diwan: The Life and Times of Sir Salar Jung I. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN   978-93-5305-677-3.
  12. "Royal gateways on their last legs". The Times of India. 2011-11-15. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  13. "The Veiled Rebekah". High Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  14. Darr, Alan P.; Roney, Lara Lea (2020-01-01). "The Reach of Antonio Canova's "Angelic Hand": A New Acquisition and Reflections of Canova's Legacy in European Neoclassical Sculpture". Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts. 94 (1): 74–91. doi:10.1086/714902. ISSN   0011-9636.
  15. Richman-Abdou, Kelly (January 27, 2019). "Exquisite 19th-Century Sculpture Cloaked in a 'Translucent' Marble Veil". My Modern Met. Retrieved 2019-10-01.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Canova</span> Italian Neoclassical sculptor (1757–1822)

Antonio Canova was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists, his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the classical revival, and has been characterised as having avoided the melodramatics of the former, and the cold artificiality of the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caryatid</span> Load-bearing pillar in the figure of a female, Ancient Greece and later

A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town on the Peloponnese. Karyai had a temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis in her aspect of Artemis Karyatis: "As Karyatis she rejoiced in the dances of the nut-tree village of Karyai, those Karyatides, who in their ecstatic round-dance carried on their heads baskets of live reeds, as if they were dancing plants".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiram Powers</span> American sculptor (1805–1873)

Hiram Powers was an American neoclassical sculptor. He was one of the first 19th-century American artists to gain an international reputation, largely based on his famous marble sculpture The Greek Slave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salar Jung Museum</span> Art Museum in Hyderabad, Telangana, India

The Salar Jung Museum is an art museum located at Dar-ul-Shifa, on the southern bank of the Musi River in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is one of the notable National Museums of India. Originally a private art collection of the Salar Jung family, it was endowed to the nation after the death of Salar Jung III. It was inaugurated on 16 December 1951.

<i>The Veiled Virgin</i> Marble sculpture by Giovanni Strazza

The Veiled Virgin is a Carrara marble statue carved in Rome by Italian sculptor Giovanni Strazza (1818–1875) depicting the bust of a veiled Virgin Mary. The exact date of the statue's completion is unknown, but it was probably in the early 1850s. The veil gives the appearance of being translucent, but is carved of marble. The technique is similar to Giuseppe Sanmartino's 1753 statue Veiled Christ in the Cappella Sansevero in Naples.

<i>Apollo Belvedere</i> Hadrianic-era statue of the Greco-Roman music, truth and sun god

The Apollo Belvedere is a celebrated marble sculpture from classical antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Maria Benzoni</span> Italian sculptor

Giovanni Maria Benzoni was an Italian neoclassical sculptor. He was trained in Rome, where he later set up his own workshop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raffaelle Monti</span> Italian sculptor, author and poet

Raffaele Monti was an Italian sculptor, author and poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Possagno</span> Comune in Veneto, Italy

Possagno is a comune in the Province of Treviso, in the Italian region Veneto. It is located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) northwest of Venice and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northwest of Treviso. As of 31 August 2021, it had a population of 2,215 and an area of 12.1 square kilometres (4.7 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathieu Kessels</span> Dutch sculptor

Mathieu Kessels was a Dutch Neoclassical sculptor who mainly worked in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Henry Rinehart</span> American sculptor (1825–1874)

William Henry Rinehart was a noted American sculptor. He is considered "the last important American sculptor to work in the classical style."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwen Lux</span> American sculptor

Gwen Lux Creighton professionally Gwen Lux, (1908–1986) was an American sculptor known for her abstraction and frequently constructed from polyester resin concrete and metals. She was among America's pioneer women sculptors.

<i>The Three Graces</i> (Indianapolis) Sculpture by an unknown artist

The Three Graces is a nearly life-size, figurative Carrara marble outdoor sculpture group located on the historic Oldfields estate on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), in Indianapolis, Indiana. The neoclassical marble sculpture depicts the Three Graces, minor goddesses of the Greco-Roman pantheon. The group consists of three women frontally oriented, standing in a row upon a base. The sculpture is modeled after a c. 1797 sculpture by Antonio Canova.

<i>Veiled Christ</i> 1753 sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino

Veiled Christ is a carved marble sculpture completed in 1753 by the Neapolitan artist Giuseppe Sanmartino. It is formed from a single block of white marble, and was commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro, a prince of Sansevero, as the centerpiece of the Cappella Sansevero, in Naples, Italy.

<i>The Veiled Nun</i> Italian marble sculpture

The Veiled Nun is a marble bust depicting a female figure, sculpted by an unidentified Italian workshop c. 1863. Despite its name, the woman depicted is not a nun.

<i>Modesty</i> (Corradini sculpture) Italian marble sculpture

Modesty or Chastity or Veiled Truth by Antonio Corradini is a sculpture completed in 1752 during the Rococo period. Corradini was commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro to sculpt a memorial for his mother in the Cappella Sansevero in Naples, where the marble sculpture still remains.

<i>Venus Italica</i> Sculpture in various versions by Antonio Canova

The Venus Italica is a marble sculpture commissioned by Napoléon Bonaparte and fashioned by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova. Canova finished the original work in 1802 and modelled two further variants which he completed in 1819. The work was to serve as a replacement for the Venus de Medici sculpture, a copy of an antique work by Cleomenes of Athens, which had been seized, taken to France and placed in the Louvre in 1802 by orders of Bonaparte. After Napoleon's abdication the Venus de Medici was returned to Italy on 27 December 1815 and is since on display in the Room of Venus in the Galleria Palatina at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

<i>Vestal Virgin Tuccia</i> (Corradini sculpture) Larger-than-life marble sculpture created in 1743 by Antonio Corradini

The Vestal Virgin Tuccia or Veiled Woman is a marble sculpture created in 1743 by Antonio Corradini, a Venetian Rococo sculptor known for his illusory depictions of female allegorical figures covered with veils that reveal the fine details of the forms beneath. The work is housed in the Palazzo Barberini, Rome.

<i>Veiled Vestal</i> 1847 sculpture by Rafaelle Monti

The Veiled Vestal is an 1847 sculpture by Rafaelle Monti. It was commissioned by William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire during an 1846 trip to Naples. It is a representation of a Vestal Virgin, the priestesses of the Ancient Roman goddess Vesta. The subject was popular at this time due to the then recent discovery of the House of the Vestals in Pompeii. The depiction of translucent fabrics was popular at the time and Monti was requested to use the technique in this sculpture. Monti completed the sculpture in April 1847 and it was afterwards displayed at Cavendish's West London Chiswick House.

<i>Mephistopheles and Margaretta</i> 19th-century double sculpture

Mephistopheles and Margaretta is a 19th-century wooden double sculpture featuring two images carved on opposite sides; it portrays two characters from German playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1808 play Faust. The obverse depicts the demon Mephistopheles, and the reverse depicts a woman, Margaretta. A mirror placed behind the sculpture allows both sides to be seen simultaneously.

References