Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza

The Calabrian provenance was furnished by Wilhelm von Bode, writing March 4, 1922, to an unknown addressee, possibly the dealer Edward Gans. It is to be taken with more than a grain of salt, as is Bode’s acceptance of someone’s proposal of Benvenuto Cellini (!) as the maker.[1]

Ottavio Farnese (1524–1586), grandson of Pope Paul III and duke of Parma and Piacenza, wears the insignia of the Golden Fleece on the cord around his neck. It was awarded to him by Emperor Charles V in 1547 but returned in 1552 after a squabble. The identification originated with Goldsmith and Raggio and seems correct on the basis of the great triple portrait of Ottavio and his brother, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, flanking the pontiff in the Capodimonte.[2] The facture of the bust cannot, however, date from the Renaissance, and is a reminder to tread cautiously when dealing with miniature busts of any century, for they can be produced at little cost and considerable profit, especially when portraying famous personages. Goldsmith and Raggio note the “impressionistic” modeling, which should have been a warning. Indeed, the modeler responsible got carried away wanting to capture the dash and “painterly” scumbling of a virtuoso, leaving the hair and armor virtually unrecognizable while wanting the eyes to seem sharply focused (yet they do not). Their attribution to Pastorino dei Pastorini is a disservice to that gifted, conscientious medalist. The molten metal was erratically poured, and horrid flaws and gaping holes resulted, especially visible in the chin and neck, somewhat mitigated by the filling of the interior with another metal. Probably from the same careless late workshop is a similar bust, lacking the fleece, paired with that of a woman in seventeenth-century attire, once owned by Captain Charles C. Dent of Breiningsville, Pennsylvania.[3]
-JDD

Footnotes
(For key to shortened references see bibliography in Allen, Italian Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022.)


1. Translation of transcript in ESDA/OF.
2. The identification of Ottavio in the painting seems to have been their main thrust.
3. Photographs in ESDA/OF.