Lot Essay
Andrea Ferreri (1673-1744) was born in Milan, but spent his working life in the region of Emilia. He moved to Bologna with his family in 1683, and it was here that he studied under the master-sculptor of the region: Giuseppe Mazza. Ferreri soon established an independent studio and by 1712 was teaching at the Accademia Clementina. He worked on several commissions in Bologna and in the neighbouring city of Ferrara. He moved to the latter in 1722, and was particularly active in the Cathedral and Archbishop's Palace. In 1737 he was appointed director of the Academy in Ferrara, and among his more famous pupils are Pietro Turchi and Angelo Gabriello Pio.
Ferreri was an extremely prolific and versatile sculptor, working in a wide gamut of materials: marble, wood, stucco, terracotta, wax and oil. Emilia was a major sculptural centre during the 17th and 18th centuries, and much in keeping with the local tradition Ferreri had a prediliction for the malleable materials, as in the present examples. He was also active in the field of theatrical stage settings, where his talent as stuccoist and decorator could be exploited. Ferreri's recorded work is primarily of a religious nature, but, he did work extensively in the Bolognese and Ferrarese palazzi, and it is therefore likely that much decorative and secular sculpture by his hand survives in situ. The present pair of busts are rare and interesting works of this type, they reflect Ferreri's strength as a modeller and are also testaments to Emilian art at this transitional period. The inspiration is obviously Baroque, but the busts reveal an incipient classicism in their mood and poise. The two busts represent Appenine rivers, the principal one being the Reno, which flows between Ferrara and Bologna and issues into the Adriatic. The Zena runs south of Bologna into the Idice, which in turn is a tributary of the Reno. It is possible that these two busts were part of a large series of Emilian rivers, certainly they stand as an intriguing commission both because of their decorative and striking presence, and also because of their specific and local symbolism.
Ferreri was an extremely prolific and versatile sculptor, working in a wide gamut of materials: marble, wood, stucco, terracotta, wax and oil. Emilia was a major sculptural centre during the 17th and 18th centuries, and much in keeping with the local tradition Ferreri had a prediliction for the malleable materials, as in the present examples. He was also active in the field of theatrical stage settings, where his talent as stuccoist and decorator could be exploited. Ferreri's recorded work is primarily of a religious nature, but, he did work extensively in the Bolognese and Ferrarese palazzi, and it is therefore likely that much decorative and secular sculpture by his hand survives in situ. The present pair of busts are rare and interesting works of this type, they reflect Ferreri's strength as a modeller and are also testaments to Emilian art at this transitional period. The inspiration is obviously Baroque, but the busts reveal an incipient classicism in their mood and poise. The two busts represent Appenine rivers, the principal one being the Reno, which flows between Ferrara and Bologna and issues into the Adriatic. The Zena runs south of Bologna into the Idice, which in turn is a tributary of the Reno. It is possible that these two busts were part of a large series of Emilian rivers, certainly they stand as an intriguing commission both because of their decorative and striking presence, and also because of their specific and local symbolism.