Luigi BIENAIME'
(Carrara 1795-1878)
Dancing Bacchante
Carrara marble, height 149 cm.
Signed and dated on the trunk: L. BIENAIME' F. A ROMA 1846
Provenance: Yeaton Pevery, near Shrewsbury, former home of the Wakeman family; Rome, Galleria Francesca Antonacci; Milan, Private Collection;
Exhibited: Camuccini Finelli Bienaimé, Protagonisti del classicismo a Roma nell’Ottocento, Galleria Francesca Antonacci, Rome 2003
The present statue is a version of one of the most famous works by
this great nineteenth century sculptor. Born in Carrara, in 1795,
and son of a possibly Flemish sculptor, Luigi Bienaimé moved to
Rome in 1818 when he won the Accademia di Belle Arti of Carrara
scholarship prize. As for many other artists coming from several dif-
ferent countries, Rome became Bienaimé’s adoptive town. In the
Urbe, they all found the perfect condition for practicing sculpture:
they were constantly in contact with the most celebrated models of
the classical antiquity; they lived in the 19th century capital of the
international art market for the flow of foreign travellers and col-
lectors and, more importantly, they could enjoy the privilege of the
mastery of Antonio Canova and Bertel Thorvaldsen – two of the
most important sculptors of the age.
Bienaimé was first a pupil of the Danish Bertel Thorvaldsen; when
the master broke off with his favorite Pietro Tenerani, he then be-
came the Dane main assistant. Despite being employed as chief as-
sistant in Thorvaldsen’s workshop, Bienaimé could also establish
himself as an independent artist. As a matter of fact, he often shared
with his master very important patrons, such as the Count Gi-
ambattista Sommariva, the Duke of Devonshire, the Tsar Nicholas
I and the Prince Alessandro Torlonia (On the artist see: Hartmann
1984, Carozzi in Carrara 1993, pp. 172-173). Moreover, he was
sought out and, in some cases, befriended by eminent members of
the European nobility and the arts. For example, King Württenburg
ordered two bacchantes in 1840 and the Italian poet Angelo Maria
Ricci took an especial interest in Bienaimé’s works, ordering several
statues from him
and being one of the
first persons to illus-
trate
Bienaimé’s
oeuvre in his Scul-
ture di L. Bienaimé
da Carrara of 1838.
He never left his
adopted city and
died there in 1878.
The repertoire of
Bienaimé’s creations,
always available in a
series of plaster
models for new
marble
version,
consisted of sacred
subjects that recall
Thorvaldsen’s works
(The
Guardian
Angel, Baby Saint
John), literary sub-
jects that embody
the idea of “beauty”
(Telemachus), and
mostly mythological
subjects of “gra-
cious” and “refined”
inspiration. How-
ever, unlike sculp-
tures from Antiquity,
Bienaime’s statues
exuded not monu-
mentalism, but soft-
B. Thorvaldsen, Dancer, 1817, plaster model;
Copenaghen, Thorvaldsens Museum.
ness. This softness,
to works such as the Psyche or the Zephyr,
Italy in 1845. Although he ordered works
determined the absence of a privileged side,
from many different artists during this trip,
thus benefitting a multitude of viewpoints.
Bienaimé was particularly favored by the Tsar
This work, intended for a decorative use,
when he visited him in his studio. From most
was one of the most successful sculptures
sculptors Nicholas I had ordered only one, or
within Bienaimé’s production.
possibly two statues; from Bienaimé he com-
A drawing of the Dancing Bacchante is
missioned four, including a replica of the
recorded on plate XIV of Angelo Maria
Dancing Bacchante. The completed statue was
Ricci’s book on Bienaimé’s oeuvre (Ricci
transported to St. Petersburg in 1850 where it
1838), and is also described in Hawks Le
was placed in the Winter Palace. Although
Grice’s Walks through the Studii of the Sculp-
Nicholas I’s Dancing Bacchante can now be
tors of Rome (1841) as standing in Bienaime’s
found in the National Gallery at Erevan, an-
studio as having been executed for Prince
other one of larger sizes, signed and dated
Doldenburgh. The most interesting history
1840 and coming from the collection of the
connected with this statue, however, origi-
princes of Ol'denburgskij’s arrived at the Her-
nates with the Russian expatriate community
mitage in 1923, where it can still be found
in Rome, a city that had attracted a number
today. A further smaller version, also in the
of Russian artists. At this time, a frenetic
Hermitage, was probably commissioned by
building activity had taken over the wealth-
the Prince Boris Yusupov. It is not dated but
iest inhabitants of St. Petersburg. These new
in the catalogue for the 1996 exhibition I
palaces and mansions needed to be deco-
Marmi degli Zar it is argued that it must have
rated, and with this in mind, the upper ech-
been made during the 1840s as a copy of the
L. Bienaimé, Dancing Bacchante, 1846, (detail)
elons of Russian society travelled around
earlier, larger versions. It is probable that, after
Europe acquiring objects for their homes.
the patronage of such illustrious collectors as
Nicholas I himself entertained ambitions of founding a new Imperial Prince Doldenburgh and Tsar Nicholas I, the Dancing Bacchante enjoyed
Museum in St. Petersburg. As demonstrated, he was already familiar with great fame and that the present version was executed for another presti-
the art of Italy; thus, it is not surprising to find him travelling through gious client sharing similar tastes.
A. Canova, Dancer with bells, 1812, marble; Berlin, Bode Museum.
Realized for Andrei Razumovskij, Russian ambassador in Vienna.
nevertheless, although sentimental, was not overly so as in the work
of some of his elders or contemporaries. Through polished variations
of subject, which had also been represented by Thorvaldsen, Bien-
aimé found his own artistic vein, carrying out the same themes with
a narrative and sentimental approach that was different from his mas-
ter's severe “philosophical” style.
The subject of this statue, the Dancing Bacchante, was also tied to
works Thorvaldsen and, before him, Antonio Canova had previously
treated, in particular the Dancer sculpted in 1817 by the Dane for
Prince Nicolaus Esterhàzy (the model is now at the Thorvaldsen Mu-
seum in Copenhagen).
These works shared a common archaeological reference to antique
statues’ draperies swelled by the wind such as the Hora at the Uffizi
and the Hora that was at that time part of the Ludovisi collection; a
reference also echoed in Pietro Tenerani’s Flora (di Majo, Susinno, in
Rome 1989, p.322; Grandesso 2003, p.136).
Compared to his master’s works, Bienaimé expressed an original face
physiognomy that was not influenced by Thorvaldsen’s oeuvres. Fur-
thermore, he notably amplified the movement by expanding the three-
dimensional development of the figures, which turns out to be very
different from the typical frontality of the Dane’s sculptures. The “ser-
pentinato” development of the figure within the space, which is similar
L. Bienaimé, Portrait of the Tsar Nicholas I, 1846, marble; Saint Petersburg,
The State Hermitage Museum.
Literature:
Roma 2003
Camuccini Finelli Bienaimé, Protagonisti del
classicismo a Roma nell’Ottocento, Galleria
Francesca Antonacci
Cited Literature
Carrara 1993
Scultura a Carrara. Ottocento, essays by Mario
De Micheli, Gian Lorenzo Mellini, Massimo
Bertozzi, artists biographies by Renato
Carozzi, Bergamo 1993.
Carrara, Massa 1996
I marmi degli zar. Gli scultori carraresi all'Er-
mitage e a Peterhof, (Carrara, Accademia di
Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe DUCROS
(1748 Moudon-1810 Lausanne)
A noble group of Russian "Grand-Tourists" visiting the Neptune's Grotto at Tivoli, 1782 c.
Oil on canvas, 90 x 132,2 cm.
Provenance: Bern, private collection
This painting 1 depicts a foreshortening of the inside of the so-called
Neptune’s Grotto at Tivoli: a large cavern in the rock wall underneath
the town where the river Aniene flows after a “Large Waterfall”. 2 The
Neptune’s Grotto was one of the most notorious attractions of Tivoli
and represented a fundamental stop for the “Grand-Tourists” of the
18th century.
The following is a 1794 description by an anonymous traveller:
“The grotto is in the depths, where the river, immediately past the large
waterfall, vertically falls down from high rocks. A narrow path leads to
these depths [...] along the rock wall, but one must be careful not to make
a fatal jump […]. The grotto seems to be shaped by Nature and partially
carved by the falling waters. It looks like a 15 feet high building, as much
wide, that is transparent on three sides. The imposing view of water pre-
cipitating for five storeys, the sound, the thunder of this powerful element,
sometimes frightens, sometimes elicits pleasure and admiration; the body
is shaken and the spirit gets confused. The whole grotto, and its vault, are
wonderfully covered by moss and herbs of a beautiful green tone. You stand
there, on the smooth stones, you get wet and yet you remain; the scene is
too odd and extraordinary to leave immediately.” 3
Our painting represents the inside of the grotto. We can see the large
dark and massive arch of the vault, behind which the waterfall runs
on some rocks towards the foreground. Two gentlemen are depicted
on the smooth stones described by the anonymous traveller; one is
standing, already contemplating the grandiose view, whereas the other
one is cautiously moving with the help of a local guide. Two other
men are coming from the path on the right, followed by a dog. An
additional dog is sniffing the plants in the foreground.
In my opinion this painting is by the Swiss painter Abraham-Louis-
Rodolphe Ducros who arrived in Rome in 1776. After a trip to Sicily
with a group of Dutch “Grand-Tourists”, he settled in the Eternal
City in 1778. Even if in 1770s and in the early 1780s the Roman
market of views and landscapes was dominated by Jakob Philipp
Hackert (1737-1807), Ducros could find his own place: in 1780 he
formed a partnership with the Roman engraver Giovanni Volpato
(1735-1803), successfully selling hand-colored engravings reproduc-
ing ancient monuments. Moreover, he specialized in the technique of
watercolors, that Hackert disregarded being famous for his brown ink
drawings. These large watercolors painted with bright shades represent
well-known sites, such as the Tivoli and Terni waterfalls or famous
Roman monuments, which soon became Ducros’ “mark” who, thus,
secured his own niche in the Roman art market. When Hackert left
to Naples in 1786, Ducros further consolidated his position and
worked with increasing success, at last helped by two assistants, Franz
Kaisermann and Filippo Giuntotardi. In 1793, Ducros was compelled
to leave Rome for Naples where he lived until 1805 4 , and where he
also painted seascapes. In 1800/1801 he visited Malta Island. Back to
Rome in 1805, the artist remained there until 1807. Then he moved
moved back to Switzerland where, in 1809, he was appointed director
of Berne Academy. Unfortunately, he died before he could get this
position.
While watercolors by Ducros are present in several private and public
collections, he only made few oil paintings. In fact, he used this tech-
nique just in a short period of time during the first half of 1780s. To
1785 dated two paintings, apparently missing at the moment, both
described in the Roman art journal Memorie per le Belle Arti, which
additionally tells us that they were commissioned by a certain “Milord
Breadalbane”. Still according to the journal reporter, Ducros had
painted another oil with the view of Syracuse and a wood in the fore-
ground where Cicero uncovers the tomb of Archimedes, probably
commissioned by Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and
Bishop of Derry (1730-1803) 5 . While these works are still missing,
a painting with a view of the Temple of the Sibyl at Tivoli is rather
well-known 6 . The catalogue of Kenwood exhibition of 1985 tells us
about Ducros’ oil paintings production:
“Between 1782 and 1785 Ducros painted several ‘conversation pieces’ in
oil. This type of portrait, fashionable since Pompeo Batoni painted his
masterpieces, was taken up by many […] But Ducros did not persevere
in this particular field, being more at ease with the large water-colour
landscapes which were to become his speciality after 1785.” 7
To these “conversation pieces” belong two additional oil on canvas,
even though they depict characters in a landscape context. Both works
of art were commissioned by a very high-ranking patron, the Grand
Duke Pavel Petrovich Romanov: the future Tsar Paul I (1754-1801),
who visited Rome in February 1782 with his wife Maria Feodorovna
(born Princess of Württemberg, 1759-1828) her brother, Prince
Friedrich of Württemberg, the future King Friedrich I (1754-1816),
and Prince Nicolai Borisovich Yusupov. Although the noble couple
travelled incognito under the name “Counts of North”, their presence
in Rome awoke great interest and their movements, their visits to
monuments and to artists’ ateliers were commented, for instance, by
the Diario Ordinario newspaper, published by the Chracas brothers.
On March 9, 1782, they went on a trip to Tivoli guided by the land-
scape painter Jakob Philipp Hackert; also this event was commented
by the Diario Ordinario 8 . Despite the Roman newspaper did not
mentioned Ducros' presence, he was certainly part of the group who
followed the Grand Dukes. Indeed, he was asked to document their
L. Bienaimé, Shepherdess, 1854, marble; Saint Petersburg,
The State Hermitage Museum.
Belle Arti, Massa, Palazzo Ducale, April 13 -
June 23 1996) exhibition catalogue edited by
Massimo Bertozzi, Milano 1996.
Hartmann 1984
Jorgen Birkedal Hartmann, La triade italiana
del Thorvaldsen. Alcune considerazioni su temi
mitologici e cristiani, in "Antologia di Belle
Arti", 1984 nn. 23-24, pp. 90-115.
Grandesso 2003
Stefano Grandesso, Pietro Tenerani (1789 -
1869), Cinisello Balsamo 2003.
Jørnæs 1997
Biarne Jørnæs, Bertel Thorvaldsen la vita e l'-
opera dello scultore, Roma 1997.
Le Grice 1841
Hawks Le Grice, Walks through the studii of
the sculptors at Rome with a brief historical and
critical sketch of sculpture, 2 voll. Rome 1841
Ricci 1838
Sculture di Luigi Bienaimé da Carrara, Roma
1838
Roma 1989
Bertel Thorvaldsen 1770 - 1844 scultore danese
a Roma, (Roma, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte
Moderna, November 1 1989 - January 28
1990), exhibition catalogue edited by Elena
di Majo, Bjarne Jørnæs, Stefano Susinno,
Roma 1989.
Fig. 1: Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe Ducros, "The Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and the Grand Duchess
Maria Feodorovna visiting Neptune's Grotto at Tivoli", 1782 c., oil on canvas, Pawlovsk, Palace Museum.
Fig. 2: Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe Ducros, "The Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and the Grand Duchess
Maria Feodorovna visiting the Roman Forum", 1782 c., oil on canvas, Pawlovsk, Palace Museum.
visit to Nep-
tune’s Grotto
in a painting
now
at
Pawlovsk (see
fig. 1). 9 In the
f o re g r o u n d
there are
some mas-
terly painted
figures de-
picted with
every detail of
their clothes.
We can see a
lady with an
imperial bear-
ing, certainly
t h e Gr a n d
Duchess, of-
fering her
hand to a lord
in a deep-red
Fig. 3: Heinrich Friedrich Füger, Portrait of the Prince Yusupov, 1781,
c
loak, her
oil on canvas, Saint Petersburg, The State Hermitage Museum.
husband; he
holds an um-
brella over his wife’s head, perhaps because in the humid atmos-
phere of the grotto some drops might have fallen. Other characters
of the imperial couple’s entourage arrive from their right. The paint-
ing shows the grotto from a more distant perspective than the one
in our painting; besides, the large waterfall is represented on the left
while Tivoli buildings are depicted at the summit of the rock wall.
Ducros also painted the pendant of this canvas representing the
Grand Dukes during their visit to the Roman Forum (see fig. 2) 10 ;
here as well, the characters are depicted with great care and the fig-
ure of the young Grand Duchess stands out, clearly taller than her
husband.
For what concerns our painting, its excellent description of figures
clearly marks a difference when compared to the multitude of rep-
resentations of the grotto by famous and less famous painters. Two
gentlemen, escorted by two local guides, have already reached the
water at the centre of the painting; while one is visible only from
his back, the face of the second one, though partially covered by his
hat, can be recognized by his profile. He is wearing white trousers
and a red jacket, the sleeves of which show the laces of his shirt –
equally white. From the right, two other gentlemen are getting
closer. The one on the left, wearing a turquoise coat, a silvery waist-
coat with a lace jabot and elegant white silk stockings, has put his
left hand in his trousers pocket with nonchalance. Moving broadly
the other hand, he shows the grotto pointing out by means of his
saber as if it was a cane: he is apparently explaining something to
his companion. This last one is keeping a folder under his arm, lis-
tening with attention; his right hand is raised and pointing with a
finger, as if he was only awaiting for the right moment to interrupt
the speaker and add an important detail. Unlike the character at his
side, he is wearing some boots that are less elegant but more suitable
to the humid environment, his coat is in a less extravagant color,
and, instead of the saber, he is holding a cane. We can gather that
this man belongs to a lower social class; his folder might suggest he
is a scholar, thoroughly competent in leading the visit to the grotto.
The artist’s mastery in painting the figures of the gentlemen and of
their guide is really striking. The round cheek and slight double
chin face of the man in turquoise is as much visible as the rather
hollow cheek face of his companion. It is fairly evident that they
must relate to real people, thus suggesting they must be portraits.
These analogies in depicting figures allow us to compare our paint-
ing to the canvas now at Pawlovsk. Both paintings are the same sizes,
and same sizes are also the figures compared to the surrounding
grotto. Likely similar is also the representation of the dark rock and
the partition of the image space in shade and light. The large leaf
green plants, visible on the lower side, also appear on the left of the
water in Pawlovsk painting.
Therefore, I would
like to formulate
the hypothesis that
Ducros painted our
canvas at the same
time, when he was
also painting the
View of Neptune’s
Grotto at Tivoli now
at Pawlosk, perhaps
around 1782. The
gentlemen repre-
sented in our paint-
ing might be
members of the
group who travelled
with the Russian
Gr a n d Du k e s ;
maybe one of them Fig. 4: A.L.R. Ducros, A noble group of Russian "Grand Tou-
wished to have a sou- rists" visiting the Neptune's Grotto at Tivoli, 1782 c., (detail)
venir of their staying
in Tivoli for himself, commissioning Ducros to paint a canvas. In our
painting, Ducros only shows the grotto with the waterfall in the back-
ground, maybe because his client thus requested it to him. The con-
trast between the clear water, masterfully painted in its transparency
and immateriality, and the massive rocks of the grotto, variously
lighted (from total dark, to half-light, to sunny areas) discloses once
and again the artist’s mastery and makes this canvas a masterpiece.
It might be possible to give a name to the only face clearly visible
among the gentlemen, the one wearing a turquoise coat. He could be
identified with a member of the Grand Dukes’ entourage, Prince
Nicolai Borisovich Yusupov (1750-1831), a great art lover and owner
of one of the most important collections of his period 11 . There are
two portraits of the Prince, by Heinrich Friedrich Füger (1751-1818,
see fig. 3) 12 and by Johann Baptist Lampi the Elder (1751-1830) 13
which show the young Russian nobleman’s round face, slight double
chin and pointed nose, comparable to the features of the gentleman
in our painting (see fig. 4).
Whereas the man to his side, depicted with the dignity of a professor
and carrying a folder, could
be identified with one of
the four scholars who fol-
lowed the Grand Dukes
during their trip: that it is
to say the poet Friedrich
Maximilian Klinger (1752-
1831), lector of Pavel Petro-
vich; Ludwig Heinrich
Nicolay (1737-1820), (see
fig. 5) Director of the Sci-
ence Academy of St. Peters-
burg; Andrej Samborskij
(1732-1815), theologian;
Franz Hermann Lafermière
(1737-1796) 14 , Swiss librar-
ian of the imperial couple.
Though characters identifi-
Fig. 5: Portrait of Ludwig Heinrich Nicolay
cation can only be an at-
tempt to interpreting the
painting, indeed this canvas excels both in figures representation and
grotto rendering with the waterfall in the background. This painting
can be considered as one of Ducros’ masterpieces and equals the qual-
ity and the importance of the canvas commissioned by the Russian
Grand Dukes, now at Pawlovsk.
General literature on Ducros: Images of the Grand Tour: Louis Ducros
1748-1810. Kenwood, The Iveagh Bequest, 1985. –Louis Ducros
1748-1810. Paesaggi d’Italia all’epoca di Goethe. exhibition catalogue
edited by Pierre Chessex, Rome 1987. –Abraham-Louis-Rodolphe
Ducros. Un peintre suisse en Italie. Exhibition catalogue edited by Jörg
Zutter, Lausanne, Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts 1998.
Dr. Claudia Nordhoff