Cincinnato Baruzzi (1796-1878) Sappho – Marble Bust

Neoclassical bust in Carrara marble representing the Greek poet Sappho, Cincinnato Baruzzi and workshop.

Cincinnato Baruzzi, Italian sculptor, Canova’s right-hand man, born in Imola in 1796 and died in Bologna in 1878.
A favorite student of Antonio Canova, upon whose death he was appointed to direct his workshop for a decade, he personally experienced the transition from neoclassical to purist culture, becoming a reference for many Bolognese sculptors of the following generation. Its production was intended for Italian customers and even more for the international market, ranging from Russia to France, from England to South America.
The bust of Sappho was designed around 1837, strongly inspired by the gray marble model exhibited at the Palazzo Massimo in Rome. Baruzzi created it as a gift for one of his main Italian clients, Count Paolo Tosio, a famous art collector whose house in Brescia is today a museum: the poetess, with regular features and a full mouth , has her hair pulled back in an elaborate hairstyle, almost a cap, while two curls hang at the sides of her face. This same bust was presented at the Brera Exhibition of 1837.
Our bust, compared to the original exhibited at Palazzo Tosio, presents all the characteristics to be considered a replica of the model exhibited in Brera, as confirmed to us by the greatest Italian connoisseur of Baruzzi, member of the staff of the civic museums of Bologna and author of the monograph on the sculptor.

Excellent state of conservation.

Measures
H cm 55
L cm 28
D cm 20