The Sharing Economy

June 30, 2014 // 0

Doccia
Manufactory,
Judith and
Holofernes at
LACMA
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Judith and Holoferenes, Doccia Manufactory, c.1740s. After Agostino Cornacchini, 18th
century. Porcelain with glaze on ebony base.
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Judith and Holofernes
After Agostino Cornacchini (Italy, 1686-1754)
Doccia Manufactory (Italy, Florence, founded 1737)
Italy, original model 1722-1723, this example circa 1746-1750
Sculpture
Doccia porcelain with original wood base
21 3/4 17 12 in. (55.25 43.18 30.48 cm)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.2004.175)
The story of Judith and Holoferenes comes from the deuterocanonical
Book of Judith in the Bible; it concerns a beautiful widow, Judith, from
the city of Bethulia. With the Assyrian army camped outside the walls,
ready to attack the city, Judith enters the enemy camp by guile and
seduces the Assyrian general Holoferenes. The latter, apparently,
passes out drunk before anything sexual actually takes place, at which
point Judith proceeds to decapitate him. Without a leader, the Assyrian
army disperses, and Israel is saved.
By now you might be aware of my penchant for the more serious
scenes in art, and this one is an especially lovely example. The Doccia
Manufactory was founded by Florentine Marchese Carlo Ginori in 1735,
securing a monopoly on porcelain production in Tuscany, with 1746
marking the first public sales. The chief modeller was Gaspare Bruschi.
Made from a rougher clay, it is a gray-tinted hard paste porcelain with
rather coarse edges that does not admit of careful detailing (you can
see this especially well in this example). It proves, however, perfect for
the Baroque/Rococo examples the manufactory produced in the 18th
century, allowing for the rounded volumes and rather rough details of
the period (see Bruschis modelling of the Farnese Hercules).
Judith and Holofernes (detail). After Agostino Cornacchini, 18th century. Porcelain with glaze
on ebony base.
Particularly interesting (the punctum as Roland Barthes would say, if
you like that sort of thing) is the manner in which the central scene is
framed on the left by the headless body of Holofernes and on the right
by Judiths maid. They form almost a crescent that emphasizes the
verticals of Judith with the head of Holofernes, presented rather gleefully
to the viewer. The head itself references Michelangelos famous self-
portrait in the Sistine Chapels Last Judgement, with the mouth hanging
open and the skin loose and sagging, while the eyebrows in turn give
him a pathos that looks to the famous Laocoon (see below). Judith
points gracefully at Holoferenes prone body to her right (her hand is
amazingly detailed), exaggerating the twisting movement of the
contrapposto as she brings the head forward and points back at
Holofernes; this is beautifully captured by the modelling of the drapery.
Then, of course, theres the heroines serene look; she displays no
compunction at the cruelty of her act, instead revelling on her triumph in
saving Israel from destruction and, in the process, renewing the
Israelites faith in their God. This is a story with a clear-cut moral that
admits no gradations.
It is, indeed, truly a masterpiece, one that were lucky to have in Los
Angeles.
Laocoon. Hellenistic Sculpture, now in the Museo Pio Clementino in the Vatican
doccia, ginori, lacma, porcelain, sculpture Tags
Collecting Old Masters, Eighteenth Century, Humanities, Porcelain, Sculpture Categories
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