Leseprobe

93 Claudia Kryza-Gersch When Augustus the Strong purchased the Chigi collection in 1728, he acquired not only 160 works of antique sculpture, but also four “modern” pieces – not counting the fabulous bust of an African Man (fig. 7) now attributed to Nicolas Cordier but then considered an antique original. 1 Of the four modern pieces, the relief of the Holy Family has since disappeared, 2 while the figure of a reclining Saint Mary Magdalene did not survive past the 18 th century, 3 but the other two have been preserved in Dresden: the Death’s Head by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the subject of this publication, and Saint John the Baptist by Francesco Mochi (fig. 68). This leaves the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden with two extremely important works of Roman Baroque sculpture in its possession. While Bernini’s name has lost none of its charisma, that of Mochi is known only by few today. The same is true of his Saint John the Baptist that has been on view since the 18 th century in Dresden’s Katholische Hofkirche (fig. 67), where he receives, however, very little notice. Hardly anyone who looks at the statue is aware that this impressive figure was originally intended for an important church in Rome and was commis- sioned by a pope. Whereas Bernini’s Death’s Head was created for Alexander VII, Mochi’s John was ordered by none other than the Barberini Pope Urban VIII. This makes taking a closer look at the figure and its creator well worthwhile. Francesco Mochi was born in Montevarchi in Tuscany in 1580. 4 This made him eighteen years older than Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the artist in whose shadow he was to stand for most of his life. Like many other artists in search of commissions, Mochi – who had trained in Florence – made his way to Rome probably shortly before the Jubilee of 1600. Here he soon found support from the important Farnese family. However, their patronage took him away from Rome for many years. At first, Mario Farnese, the Duke of Latera, arranged for him to work in Orvieto, which belonged to the Papal States at the time, where he created an extra­ ordinary, almost-two-metre high Angel of the Annunciation (fig. 70). 5 It is hard to believe that this angel, who is gesticulating wildly as he rushes down from heaven with dramatically bil- lowing garments, is worked out of a single block of marble. In this daringly undercut work, Mochi approached the limits of what was possible, both statically and technically. He also seems to cross the border between sculpture and painting: such a dynamic angel, who appears to be really f lying, had previously only been seen in pictures. 6 The sense of movement is breath- taking and heralds the awakening of a new artistic era. Between 1608 and 1609, Mochi created an agitated but heroic Virgin Mary (fig. 69), who appears to be more annoyed than awed by the angel’s intrusion into her home. She, too, is shown “in action”, since she is seen leaping up from her chair – surprised by the sudden appearance of the divine messenger – and turning her head sharply to look over her shoulder. Fig. 68 Francesco Mochi, Saint John the Baptist , 1629 – 1630, marble, Skulpturensammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden Fig. 67 Francesco Mochi, Saint John the Baptist , 1629 – 1630, marble, Skulpturensammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Installation view, Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden Bernini and Francesco Mochi Only Room for One in Rome