Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus also known as Pasquino Group
Loggia dei Lanzi
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, October 2013
“In 1771 the neoclassic artist Anton Raphael Mengs took moulds of the parts he considered antique of this sculpture and the version at the Palazzo Pitti (discussed below) and reassembled them in a plaster model that was intended to be more faithful to the Roman original. It was taken away to be further repaired in 1798[10] and remained in obscurity, undergoing further adjustments by Stefano Ricci in the 1830s, until it was finally re-erected in 1838, in the Loggia dei Lanzi. The feature which still draws most attention is the lifeless hanging left arm of Patroclus, seemingly dislocated, which was in fact part of the Tacca-Salvetti restoration. Other ‘errors’ an archaeologist today would point out, by comparing the fragment with other surviving fragments rather than by relying on his sensitive artistic eye, are the lifted left leg of the bearer and raised right knee of Patroclus, and the picturesquely mounded ground that serves as a base.” (Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus, Wikipedia)
See also: Pasquino
Despite the errors, it is magnificent!
ReplyDeleteThat is quite an interesting sculpture. I know so little about these things, which is a shame. But they aren't taught as a matter of course in the U.S.
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