Lot Essay
Auguste Passaglia (d. 1918) was regarded as one of the finest Italian sculptors of the latter half of the nineteenth century. Commencing his studies in his home town of Lucca, Passaglia later entered the Acedemy of Fine Arts in Florence under the auspices of Giovanni Duprè (d. 1882). Among his best-known works are his monuments to Vittorio Emanuele II in Turin, Venice and Lucca, his statue of Boccaccio in Certaldo and the monumental bronze doors of the Duomo in Florence.
Masaniello (full name Tomaso Aniello) is remembered in Italian history as being the first peasant to lead an insurrection against foreign rulers in Naples, in this case heading the rebellion of 1647 against the heavy tax burden and other legislation imposed by the Spanish viceroy. A common subject among nineteenth century Italian painters and sculptors, Ciociara was the name given to the young peasant-girls of Ciociaria, the rural region of southern Lazio (Latium).
Masaniello (full name Tomaso Aniello) is remembered in Italian history as being the first peasant to lead an insurrection against foreign rulers in Naples, in this case heading the rebellion of 1647 against the heavy tax burden and other legislation imposed by the Spanish viceroy. A common subject among nineteenth century Italian painters and sculptors, Ciociara was the name given to the young peasant-girls of Ciociaria, the rural region of southern Lazio (Latium).