Gipsoteca Bartolini became part of the Accademia Gallery in 1784.
One of the greatest sculptors and outstanding instructors, Lorenzo Bartolini, is represented by a collection of the finest plaster casts from the 19th century.
Book your entrance ticket or a guided tour to Galleria dell’Accademia to view this collection of plaster casts by Bartolini and Pampaloni, along with the magnificent David.
Students from the Fine Arts Academy next door formerly used the Accademia Gallery to study the creations of famous artists.
Lorenzo Bartolini, a sculptor and academy professor from the 19th century, was one of them.
Today, Gipsoteca, meaning “the hall of models,” displays artworks perfectly replicating Bartolini’s studio.
The Gipsoteca-Bartolini Hall features two classifications of 19th-century artwork.
More than 250 plaster models of Bartolini and his protégé, Luigi Pampaloni, and the paintings and Lorenzo Bartolini sculptures have received awards from the Florence Academy of Fine Arts.
Altogether, this area’s artwork illustrates the history of Florentine art from the time of New Classicism to Romanticism.
Lorenzo Bartolini and Pampaloni portray notable historical Italian figures like Machiavelli, Arnolfo di Cambio, and Brunelleschi.
Gipsoteca Bartolini Gallery chronicles the evolution of Florentine art from the days of New-classicism and Romanticism.
Most statues and busts exhibit the typical 19th-century hairstyle and attire, revealing the aesthetic taste of the era from head to toe.
Adopting a specific aesthetic reveals the sensibility and the dominant ideology of the historical era it captures.
Modeling Methods Used
A picture of the finished sculpture is included with plaster-cast models, providing a fascinating look into the painstaking process of creating models for the era’s beautiful marble sculptures.
The artists used clay in making these exquisite models.
In several modes, there are dark spots where nails were used as markers.
The patina was occasionally applied to the models to mimic the look of terracotta, marble, or bronze.
Young boy with dog
‘Young boy with dog’, dated 1827, is a sculpture by Luigi Pampaloni.
Luigi Pampaloni created this Boy Playing with a Dog for an English collector.
He modernized the traditional model, Cupid Petting a Faithful Dog or Eros and Loyalty, rejecting all mythological artifice with a more contemporary sensibility.
This is made clear by the description of natural details like the dog’s thick fur, the attention paid to the child’s body’s rounded shapes, and the boy’s bright expression.
His sculpture is an excellent representation of the Neoclassical style, known for its simplicity of form and classical aesthetics.
Pontormo
Pontormo – one of the paintings in the Gipsoteca-Bartolini Hall, was created in about 1514 and measured 91 cm by 150 cm.
You can view a modestly shaped fresco painting by Jacopo Carrucci, also known as Pontormo, along the left side of the Gipsoteca, tucked away amid the casts.
“Terra verde,” meaning “green earth,” was the pigment used to paint the fresco, contributing to its predominant green hue.
The artwork represented the Gipsoteca Hall’s previous usage as the women’s ward of the historic Hospital of St. Matthew.
Visitors can view a priceless “picture” of the era, depicting hospital life in and around simple wooden beds where nuns care for the sick.
Some characters in the painting pray while others give alms, helping wash the Blessed Humility’s feet.
Featured Image: GalleriAaccademiafirenze.it