Bartolomeo Cavaceppi

Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (* 1715-1717 in Rome, † December 9, 1799 ) was an Italian sculptor and restorer. He is considered the greatest restorer of antique sculptures of his time. Many restored by him works will be shown today in international collections.

Life

Bartolomeo Cavaceppi was the son of Gaetano Cavaceppi and Petronilla Rotti. He was trained in several workshops of Rome as a sculptor. In 1732 he won the annual competition of the Accademia di San Luca in the sculpture class. For the competition, he copied a work by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. He worked in the workshop of Pierre Etienne Monnot, whom he described as his maestro. The Basics of Restaurierens he learned in the workshop of Antonio Carlon Napolionis, the restored antique statues among other things, the Capitoline Museums. In 1738 he won the competition of the Accademia di San Luca with its own creation to second place. After Napolioni died Cavaceppi worked in the workshop of Napolionis heirs Clemens Bianchi. This restored among other statues for Alessandro Albani, who became his most important patron, and Benedict XIV Cavaceppi was regarded as chief restorer of the Papal States. In 1755 he started his own business with his own workshop in Via Margutta and married also. In the competition for the occupation of the last vacant niche in St. Peter's Basilica with a sculpture of St. Norbert, he was defeated despite protection by Cardinal Albani Pietro Bracci. A study trip led him in 1768 together with Johann Joachim Winckelmann to Germany. While Cavaceppi further traveled, Winckelmann returned to Vienna again to Italy. Cavaceppi traveled to the courts of Munich, Vienna, Prague, Dresden, Anhalt -Dessau, Potsdam, Kassel and Braunschweig. With him he brought a catalog of restored statues of him which served as a sales catalog. He sold not only works, but also got orders to create sculptures. He created busts of Friedrich II, Charles I of Brunswick and Luise of Brandenburg- Schwedt and various works of mythological and literary themes. In the second volume of his catalog he describes his trip to Germany. To Cavaceppis students were among other well Nollekens Joseph, Carlo and Vincenzo Pacetti Albacini. Pacetti also managed Cavaceppis estate. More than a thousand antique parts were sold it to Giovanni Torlonia.

Cavaceppi is the most successful and most authoritative professional restorer in the second half of the 18th century. Its importance is based less on his own works as to its restoration. He often put together parts of different, non-related statues, and thus created a satisfactory overall picture. With its additions, where Johann Joachim Winckelmann advised him, he coined for a long time, the effect of ancient statues to the viewer significantly with. Through the connections to Winckelmann were Cavaceppis restorations on the knowledge of the time. Throughout his career, his workshop went through thousands of statues, busts and heads. With a large inventory of spare parts, but also modern additions he determined the determination by the beige checked attributes in many torsos. In addition, however, he also talked about the needs of its customer with his supplements. For this he also created 1768-1772 a three-volume sale catalog of 196 works in which the buyer of the plants were recorded. In the introductions to the first and third volume, he described principles and techniques of his restoration work. A very large portion of its sales -actuated it to England. The collections of the English aristocracy existed for a long time mainly of works Cavaceppis, to a large extent they persist today from it. But even after Germany, about to Frederick II, Wilhelmine of Bayreuth, Friedrich Franz Leopold III. of Anhalt- Dessau and Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden - Gimborn and to Sweden Gustav III. he sold pieces. In Rome, belonged to Gavin Hamilton and Thomas Jenkins also British with its major customers. His workshop was a meeting point of European travelers on their Grand Tour, Johann Wolfgang Goethe describes a visit to his Italian Journey. A reduced copy of Trajan's Column in 1770 created he sells to Henry Blundell.

Cavaceppi was a member of the Society of Antiquaries, and since 1782 the Accademia di San Luca. 1770 the Order to him by Clement XIV was awarded the Golden Spur which he Cavaliere Cavaceppi could call themselves.

Writings

• Raccolta d' antiche statue, bust bassirilievi ed altre sculture restaurate. 3 vols, Rome from 1768 to 1772 (Vol. 1, Vol 2, Vol 3)