Raffaello e Fornarina by Raffaello Romanelli (1856 - 1928 )

Raffaello Romanelli

1856 - 1928

Raffaello e Fornarina

signed Raffaello Romanelli Firenze and inscribed Raffaello et Fornarina

marble

height 38 in x 19 , 96.5cm.

diameter 16 in.; 40.6cm.

This  work depicts the Renaissance painter Raphael (Urbino 1483 - 1520 Rome) with his muse and lover who was known by her nickname La Fornarina, or 'the baker', later identified in the 19th century as Margarita Luti. The famously amorous painter and his mistress were a popular subject during the 19th century, and their sumptuous garments provided a chance for the artist to display his skill in carving ornate fabrics and fine details. This carving was likely inspired by the series of five works of the same subject by Jean-August-Dominique Ingres completed between 1813 and the painter’s death in 1867.

The Romanelli were a family of highly prolific sculptors in Florence during the 19th century. Born in 1856, Raffaelo Romanelli (d.1928), the son of Pasquale, exhibited in the major Italian salons as well as in Paris and London.The Galleria Romanelli, founded in the mid-nineteenth century by sculptor Pasquale Romanelli, was one of many in Florence that catered to the export market. Raffaello later took over the studio with his his son Romano, maintaining  the family's lofty reputation first established by Pasquale. Soon his fame even surpassed that of his father, both in Italy and internationally. From 1890 onwards Raffaello began to work on very important commissions, xreating some of his most notable works; such as  the equestrian monument to Garibaldi in Siena, the monument to Carlo Alberto in Rome, renaissance sculptor Donatello in the Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, to Cosimo Ridolfi in Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence and the bust of Benvenuto Cellini which stands in the centre of the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence.Raffaello's chief works are the equestrian statue of Garibaldi in Siena, and the Charles Albert monument in the Quirinal, Rome. Later in his career, Romanelli traveled to Hungary, becoming the the official sculptor of the royal family, making numerous stays and making about forty works. In 1913 Raffaello won the competition out of 142 competitors to make the monument to Tzar Alessandro II, one of the largest monuments in Europe.

His works, mainly genre, historical and classical scenes, can now be found in museums such as the Palazzo Pitti in Florence and in public squares within major cities in Northern Italy.