giglard.pages.dev

Francesco bertos biography

    •

Francesco Bertos

Italian sculptor

Francesco Bertos was an Italian sculptor known for his emotive and virtuosic small-scale pyramidal group sculpture. He worked primarily with bronze and produced many allegorical works.[1] He was born and died in Dolo, a small town near Padua. Very little is known about Bertos' life. Historical records indicate his presence in Rome in 1693 and in Venice in 1710, with his activity documented until 1733 when he received a commission for two candlesticks for the basilica of Sant'Antonio (il Santo) in Padua.[2]

Bertos' sculptures gained popularity among 18th-century Italians and tourists visiting Italy, finding their way into various collections in Europe and North America, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[3] Notable examples of his work include the Allegory of Triumph,[4] housed at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the sculpture America,[5] displayed at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore. These bronze groups feature allegorical figures arranged in dynamic pyramid

    •

Francesco Bertos

Francesco Bertos (Dolo, 23 maggio1678 – Dolo, 28 novembre1741[1]) è stato uno scultoreitaliano noto soprattutto per i suoi intricati gruppi di piccole figure.

Biografia

[modifica | modifica wikitesto]

L'artista è rimasto per lungo tempo oscuro e rimangono ancora diversi interrogativi irrisolti sulla sua vita. L'inizio romano della sua attività, riportato in più testi, risulta oggi negato[2]. Rimane invece plausibile che avesse avuto qualche esperienza fuori dal Veneto e un rapporto, non meglio precisato, con il più anziano scultore friulano Girolamo Bertos, attivo in Romagna.

L'attività autonoma e più tipica di Bertos inizia documentatamente nel 1715 con la commissione di Antonio Manin di alcuni gruppi di piccole figure in marmo per la villa di Passariano. Lo scultore ne realizzò otto fino al 1719 cui seguirono delle grandi statue da giardino. Dal 1722 è documentato l'invio di alcune opere allo zar Pietro il Grande. Tra il 1738 e 1739 eseguì due gruppi in bronzo per il re di Sardegna[3]. Oltre ai Savoia il Bertos contin

    •

Francesco Bertos (1678-1741), Italian, Venice, first half 18th century

Introduction

Around 1730, Bertos was questioned by the Italian Inquisition.  The charge was that his astounding virtuosity in carving complex figure groups in marble was achieved by some form of pact with the devil.  Bertos had to defend his pious sincerity against this false accusation, which may have been made by a jealous rival sculptor.  It is believed that his multi-figure group of the Triumph of Christianity, inscribed HVCVSQ(V)E F. o BERTOS LICVIT (Thus far [and no further] it has been permitted to Francesco Bertos [to go]), was made as testimony to his religious belief and obedience. The groups which Avery suggests were used by the Inquisition as proof of Bertos's unnatural skill are the lost, but documented marble allegories of the Arts, commissioned by Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg. These ambitious marble extravaganza were partly paid for by 1732 and announce a sculptor of unique talent, but one who seems to have emerged suddenly and without a clear teacher; even Bertos's bi

Copyright ©giglard.pages.dev 2025