Portrait of Luigi Sommariva citrine 1820, gold suspension loop probably contemporary with intaglio Giovanni Beltrami The pale yellow, oval citrine is cut as a cabochon (curved at the front and flat at the back) and highly polished. Into the back Giovanni Beltrami engraved a miniature version of Robert Lefèvre’s oil portrait of Luigi Sommariva (Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Milan). The image and its accompanying inscription are carved in reverse so that they are oriented correctly when the citrine is viewed from the front. The translucent stone’s convex shape acts like a lens to enlarge the scene an
Portrait of Luigi Sommariva citrine 1820, gold suspension loop probably contemporary with intaglio Giovanni Beltrami The pale yellow, oval citrine is cut as a cabochon (curved at the front and flat at the back) and highly polished. Into the back Giovanni Beltrami engraved a miniature version of Robert Lefèvre’s oil portrait of Luigi Sommariva (Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Milan). The image and its accompanying inscription are carved in reverse so that they are oriented correctly when the citrine is viewed from the front. The translucent stone’s convex shape acts like a lens to enlarge the scene and to amplify the sense of form and spatial recession. The deeply carved figure of Luigi has the startling three-dimensionality of a hologram while the shallowly carved landscape appears to expand into the far distance behind him. Beltrami convincingly rendered different materials and textures by varying the grinding strokes in the predominantly matte engraving. He highly polished discrete areas to evoke the luminous effects of sun-filled sky and bright light striking the sitter’s face. The gemstone was commissioned by the Luigi Sommariva’s father, Count Giovanni Battista Sommariva (1760–1826).Born in Lodi of obscure parentage, the barrister, financier, and art collector, Count Giovanni Battista Sommariva, rose to prominence as a supporter of France during Napoleon’s conquest of Italy. At the height of his influence from 1800 to 1802 Sommariva was the de facto ruler of Milan. After Napoleon replaced him, Sommariva retired from politics and devoted his attention to speculative finance. He promoted his European prestige by dedicating his increasingly grand fortune to collecting works of art that he displayed in his principal residences in Paris and in Tremezzo (Villa Carlotta, formerly Sommariva, on Lake Como). Sommariva patronized the greatest sculptors and painters of his day, among them Canova, Thorvaldsen, Girodet, Prud’hon, and Hayez. Until his death in 1826,
Size: 3006px × 4000px
Photo credit: © MET/BOT / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords:
