NIGEL'S RAMBLES: Terracotta

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Terracotta

I had a plan for my Sunday afternoon photography in Modena, But the place I wanted to photograph was not open at the time posted on their site. So it was plan B. When you play "Monument Bingo" in Italy, you must always have a "Plan B".

So I filled in some photographic gaps at the Romanesque cathedral, for my Romanesque project, and then decided to see some of the Terracotta statues that are plentiful in this city. A sad little church; San Giovanni Battista, on the towns main street contains a masterpiece of this genre. It is also one of the oldest, if not the oldest in Europe. "Compianto su Cristo morto", by Guido Mazzoni, was crafted between 1477-1480. Mazzoni is considered to be one of the greatest artists who carried out this type of sculpture. The "Compianto" of Christ was a popular subject for these terracotta groups of figures, and can be found in many churches in Italy.

The "Compianto su Cristo morto" by Antonio Begarelli in the luscious Baroque Chiesa di S. Agostino, dates from 1524 and perhaps is a little less dramatic. These figures were once brightly painted, and here the original colouring is more evident.

It is interesting how these groups take on a different aspect as you move around them.

By now the place I wanted to photograph was open, but I had little time before the Mass. The Monastero, San Pietro, is considered to be an important piece of Renaissance architecture. It too has its collection of Terracotta figures. A better planned visit is planned as this place has lots of interesting angles.