Circle of Giovanni Bandini (1539/40–1599) The Marches, probably Urbino, circa 1590–1600

The model of the present Cristo morto is based on a marble Pietà by the Florentine sculptor Giovanni Bandini (1540 - 1599), also called Giovanni dell’Opera (Oratorio della Grotta, Urbino Cathedral). The modelling of this imposing group, commissioned by Francesco Maria II della Rovere and probably intended for a monument dedicated to his father, lasted from 1585 to 1588. A talented pupil of Baccio Bandinelli, Bandini enjoyed the patronage of the powerful Medici family, which enabled him to spend several periods between 1582 and 1595 at the court of the Della Rovere family in the Marches. Thus, in a letter of recommendation addressed by Simone Fortuna to Francesco Maria II della Rovere, in 1582, the sculptor is presented as ‘il migliore e più valoroso huomo che sia ora in Toscana doppo Gio. Bologna’ (the most talented man in Tuscany after Giambologna).

Among the works related to Bandini's Pietà, one should mention a terracotta of the same model, probably a modello for the marble, slightly larger than the present example, in the Musei Civici, Pesaro. Unlike the present Cristo morto, the composition of the Pesaro example is identical to the monumental group in Urbino (inv. 3861; 18.5 by 87 by 31 cm). Another work by Bandini, recently added to his corpus by Lorenzo Principi, can also be linked to the Urbino Pieta; it completes the artistic environment of sculptors active in the Marches at the end of the 16th century (op. cit., 2016, pp. 870-78). This work is a Crucifix and six bronze candelabra, made for the high altar of Urbino Cathedral (Museo Diocesano Albani, Urbino). Based on a study of the ducal accounting documents, which highlight two payments received by Bandini, on 3 October 1590 for the Crucifix and two candelabra, and on 13 July 1592 for the other four candelabra, the author was thus able to formally attribute this series to the sculptor (ibid., p. 871, note 15). The similarities between the facial features of the bronze Christ, notably his closed eyes, half-open mouth and thin bifid beard, and those of the marble Christ in Urbino reveal a perfect stylistic unity.

Bandini's impressive Pietà, a masterpiece by an eminent Florentine sculptor, was certainly considered a model of perfection at the Della Rovere court. In this regard, it is worth noting the direct reference to the body of Christ in a large Pietà by a painter in Federico Barocci's circle (Church of the Stigmata of St. Francis, Urbino; cf. A. Fucili, op. cit., pp. 76–77). This painting serves as evidence of the immediate and significant acclaim for Bandini’s marble Pietà and its impact on the arts in Urbino across various media.

The significant differences between the composition of Bandini's Pietà and the present terracotta, notably the crown of thorns moved to the feet of Christ and the addition of a cushion on which his slightly raised torso rests delicately, indicate that this is not a slavish copy but an autonomous work. The vitality of the modelling and the vigour of the style distinguish it from a workshop work or a late replica. The subtle volumes, the perfect mastery of anatomy and the treatment of the strands of hair, ranging from high relief to delicate incisions as they spread over the cushion, reveal the sure hand of a sculptor imbued with the elegance of late Mannerism. Similarly, the large, protruding eyes and the pronounced arched shape of the closed eyelids are entirely in keeping with Bandini's style and can be found in both of his marble and bronze Christ in Urbino.

Among the sculptors active in the Marches who were able to learn from Bandini through contact with him, Camillo Mariani (c. 1567 - 1611), with his elegant style in keeping with late Florentine Mannerism, stands out. The sculptor's activity in the Marches, in the service of the Della Rovere family, is documented from the 1580s onwards, before he settled in Rome in 1597, where he pursued a brilliant career and helped to train the first generation of Baroque sculptors, notably Francesco Mochi. In June 1595, the ducal account books record a payment made to Mariani for a wax Cristo morto, probably based on the marble sculpture in Urbino (cf. E. D. Schmidt, op. cit., pp. 72 and 77). This mention confirms the immediate dissemination of Bandini's model by sculptors working in his circle.

Another characteristic, this one purely technical, links the present terracotta to a centre of majolica production such as Urbino. These are traces still visible on the surface of a light engobe, probably applied before a second firing of the clay, in a white tone imitating marble. This process is common in the practices of the majolica workshops of Urbino, a major centre of production in this field since the end of the 15th century.

Thus, the present Cristo morto is stylistically and technically consistent with other works produced at the Della Rovere court in the last decades of the 16th century, and reveals the modeller's familiarity with the art of majolica. It must certainly be attributed to a sculptor in Bandini's circle, who was probably active in Urbino during the same years as the Florentine master.

We would like to thank Dr Lorenzo Pincipi for his invaluable assistance in drafting this notice.

RELATED LITERATURE

E. D. Schmidt, ‘Giovanni Bandini tra Marche e Toscana,’ in Nuovi studi, III, 6, 1999, pp. 57-103;

R. Morselli, ‘In the Service of Francesco Maria II della Rovere in Pesaro and Urbino (1549 - 1631)’ [In the service of Francesco Maria II della Rovere in Pesaro and Urbino (1549-1631)], in E. Fumagalli and R. Morselli, The Court Artist in Seventeenth-century Italy, Rome, 2014, pp. 49-93;

L. Principi, ‘Giovanni Bandini's bronze Crucifix and candlesticks made for Urbino Cathedral,’ in The Burlington Magazine, CLVIII, 2016, 1364, 2016, pp. 870-878;

A. Fucili, Imago pietatis: il corpo, exh. cat., Urbino, 2008, pp. 76–77.