Grieving
the sudden death in Florence in 1828 of their father, Count Nicholas
Demidoff, Tsar Alexander I’s ambassador to the Grand Duchy of
Tuscany, brothers Paul and Anatole Demidoff commissioned Lorenzo
Bartolini to sculpt a memorial to him. It was to be placed in the
grounds of the sumptuous villa he had built on 42 hectares of
marshland to the north of Florence at San Donato in Polverosa.
Bartolini,
the artist Demindoff’s sons chose for the commission, was Italy’s
most prominent sculptor in the years following the death of Antonio
Canova. He was born into a family of blacksmiths in Savignano, near
Prato, on January 7, 1777. After studying sculpture at the Accademia
di Belle Arti of Florence, he left for Paris in 1799, where he
apprenticed in the important atelier of Jacques-Luis David and began
receiving his first commissions. In 1807, through the influence of
Elisa Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister, he was appointed professor of
sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Carrara as well as
official sculptor to the Bonaparte family.
After
the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Bartolini returned to Florence, where
he opened a studio in Borgo Pinti. Although ostracised for his
Bonapartist political ideas and his ?too naturalistic’ style in
sculpture (so-called purism), he continued working, largely through
commissions from foreigners in Florence, including the one entrusted
to him by the Demidoff brothers. But Paul Demidoff died unexpectedly
in 1840, and Bartolini died on January 20, 1850 before he could
complete the monument. The work, therefore, remained unfinished until
1871, when Bartolini’s pupil, Romano Romanelli, completed it. By
then, the monument was no longer destined for the Villa at San
Donato. Instead, Anatole, whom the Grand Duke had named Prince of San
Donato so he could marry Napoleon’s niece, Mathilde of Monfort,
gave it to the Comune, which erected it in the garden in front of
Palazzo Serristori in piazza Demidoff, which had previously been the
ambassador’s official residence.
Sculpted
in crystalline marble from the Ravaccione quarry in Carrara, the
full-sized figure of Nicholas Demidoff is seated in the centre of the
group with Anatole in his arms, the figure of Gratitude by his son’s
side. Other allegorical figures, Mercy, Siberia with the god Pluto,
the Muse of Festivals and the Truth as it revealed to Art, occupy the
four corners of the composition. In bass relief is a depiction of the
death of Nicholas Demidoff. On the right of this, is a figure
representing the charity of his sons, the strongest element of all,
as it was fully executed by Bartolini. The family crest appears on
the back of the statue, and the front bears an inscription dedicated
to Nicholas Demidoff as the ?untiring munificent benefactor’ he
was. Because of the fragility of the marble, in 1911, a canopy
resembling a Victorian bandstand was erected to protect it.
Who
was this ?untiring munificent benefactor?’ Nicholas Demidoff, the
immensely wealthy owner of a mining empire in the Urals and an arms
factory, arrived in Florence in 1819, a year after the death of
Elizabeth Stroganoff, his wife and the mother of his sons. To
decorate his new homes, Nicholas soon amassed a vast art collection
and enjoyed entertaining lavishly. Above all, however, he was a
committed philanthropist, opening an orphanage and elementary school
for needy children in the San Niccol? area of the city and
contributing generously to building the Russian Church in Florence
and a new hospital in Bagni di Lucca, among other acts of civic
generosity. In recognition of his service, in 1827, the grand duke
bestowed on him the title of the Count of San Donato.
Today,
as Demidoff did nearly two centuries ago, many nouveau riche Russians
come to Italy. Although not all millionaires, in the first three
months of 2010 alone, the Italian embassy in Moscow issued about
52,000 visas to Russians coming here on holiday or business (for
comparison, approximately 23,000 Americans arrived in the same
period). From the Adriatic coast to Sardinia, Puglia and Versilia,
Russian oligarchs spend millions of euro to stay in posh hotels, rent
summer villas or buy seaside apartments. Some locals love it as they
skip to the bank with their profits, arguing that this is their
tickets out of the economic crisis. Others, however, say that this
money-driven revolution has caused real estate prices to soar far out
of reach for locals. To prevent this, Forte dei Marmi, for instance,
passed a law reserving some of the town’s homes for local
residents. Moreover, because these well-heeled foreigners spend so
much on products ?Made in Italy,’ many traditional beach resorts
have seen their local artisans disappear, to be replaced by high-end
boutiques with well-known names, thus drastically changing the
character and uniqueness of these locales. Therefore, before all
these places start to look alike, perhaps a kind of ?cultural’
philanthropy is needed: giving to as well as taking from a
community-by both natives and newcomers alike.
Through
November 6, 2011, the first exhibition focused entirely on Bartolini,
Lorenzo Bartolini: Sculptor of Natural Beauty, at
the Galleria dell’Accademia, displays over 70 works, including
busts of the Demidoff princes, Liszt, and Byron.
For
further information, see www.unannoadarte.it
To
escape the hot, steamy summer in Florence, there is no better place
to visit than Villa Demidoff, 12 km north of the city. Originally a
Medicean villa, it was sold in 1872 to Nicholas’ grandson, Prince
Paul Demidoff (1839-1885), who redeveloped the property. While
savouring the coolness of the park, you can see the Colossus of the
Apennines, the Fountain of Jupiter, the Mugnone fountain, the
Maschera fishpond and the aviary, the pheasant house, Cupid’s
grotto and the Montili lodge. Enjoy the shade of the centuries-old
oaks, cedars and chestnut trees that abound in the park. For more
information on the Villa and adjacent Pratolino Park, see TF 103 and www.cultura.toscana.it/architetture/giardini/firenze/parco_villa_demidoff.shtml
