Model for a Papal monument

Possibly by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt Flemish
ca. 1740–50
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 552
The form is that of an overdoor displaying the tiara and keys—a time-honored type of papal monument but sketched here with such extreme flamboyance that the intended medium may have been stucco rather than marble. There is no identifying coat of arms, though the genial late Baroque style is characteristic of Roman art under Benedict XIV (1740–58). Among the sculptors protected by that pope was Peter Anton van Verschaffelt (1710–1793), Flemish born and French educated, who worked in Rome from 1737 to 1751 and afterward especially for the court at Mannheim. Similarities with putti in stucco by Verschaffelt on the facade of San Norberta in Rome and with a marble Genius of the Papacy at San Ciriaco in Ancona can be seen, especially in the rather self-contained putto at the left in this model, who is a tribute to the infantine forms popularized in Rome more than a century earlier by another sculptor of Flemish birth, François Duquesnoy. The asymmetrical concavity of the model occurs in one of Verschaffelt's first Mannheim works, an overdoor with Fame for the Jesuit Church. It is pointless to press an outright attribution, however, until more is known of Verschaffelt's manner of sketching. Esteemed for his highly finished treatment of marble, he is represented in the Museum's collection by his bust of an Englishman (1978. 3), a work of the Roman period (signed and dated 1740).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Model for a Papal monument
  • Artist: Possibly by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt (Flemish, Ghent 1710–1793 Mannheim)
  • Date: ca. 1740–50
  • Culture: probably Italian, Rome
  • Medium: Terracotta
  • Dimensions: Overall: 15 7/8 × 14 1/2 × 6 in. (40.3 × 36.8 × 15.2 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Iain Nasatir, 1983
  • Object Number: 1983.500
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.