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White Marble Bust of Prince Camillo Borghese (1775-1832)

Creator: Lorenzo Bartolini
Offered by: Carswell Rush Berlin Antiques

Description
LORENZO BARTOLINI (1777-1850)
Un-signed.
Rome/Carrara, c. 1804-1809
Provenance: Probably Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte (1768-1844), King of Spain, to his grandson, Joseph Lucien Charles Bonaparte of Point Breeze
Sold by auctioneer Anthony J. Bleeker, Bordentown, NJ., 25 June 1847, lot 23, to
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), to her daughter-in-law
Fanny Gay Howe, until 1929, to her nephew
S. Prescott Hall, 1932, donated to
Mid-Atlantic museum, de-accessioned, 2008.

Camillo Borghese was married in 1803 to Joseph and Napoleon Bonaparte's sister, Paolina. He was made Prince of France in 1804, a troop-commander in the Imperial Guard in 1805, Duke of Guastalla in 1806, governor of Piedmont in 1808 and commander of the 27th and 28th Division of the French Army in 1809. He achieved immortality by commissioning a life-size nude portrait of the recumbent Paolina, "Venus Victorious", (1804-1808) by Antonio Canova; perhaps the most iconic sculpture of the Classical period.

Bartolini came to Paris in 1798 to study painting with Jacques-Louis David and Frédéric Desmarais and sculpture with François-Frédéric Lamot. He won the Prix de Rome in 1802 and his bas-relief of Cleobis and Biton won second prize at the Academy in 1803. These achievements brought him to the attention of many powerful patrons including Napoleon, of whom he created a monumental bust. Napoleon introduced him to his sister Elisa and, presumably to Paolina as well. He was appointed by Elisa in 1807 as professor at the Accadamia di Carrara which she organized as a center for the production of Imperial family statues and busts.

This bust, according to the auction catalog of Anthony J. Bleeker, was one of a series of four by Bartolini commissioned by King Joseph Bonaparte of his brothers and brothers-in-law, including: Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia, Félix Bacciochi (husband of Eliza), Prince of Piombino and Luca, and Prince Borghese. All four were sold, sequentially, at the Point Breeze sale in Bordentown, New Jersey in 1847. According to Patricia Tyson Stroud's article , "Point Breeze: Joseph Bonaparte's American retreat," Bonaparte's house on the Delaware Rive north of Philadelphia had a room "devoted entirely to statues of Bonaparte's family" Magazine Antiques (October 2002).

More Information

Origin:	Italy
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Marble.
Condition:	Excellent.
Creation Date:	1804-1809
Styles / Movements:	Old Master
Incollect Reference #:	109487

Dimensions

W.	12.5 in;	H.	22 in;	D.	8.75 in;
W.	31.75 cm;	H.	55.88 cm;	D.	22.23 cm;

Message from Seller:

Welcome to Carswell Rush Berlin Antiques, a premier New York City-based dealer specializing in American antique furniture and decorative accessories from the Classical period (1800-1840). For inquiries, please contact us at 646.645.0404 or email carswellberlin@msn.com.

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