Details
DONATO BARCAGLIA (ITALIAN, 1849-1930)
Love Blinds
inscribed 'LOVE BLINDS' (front of base), signed and inscribed 'D. BARCAGLIA. Milan' (left of base), inscribed 'GOLD MEDAL/BEAUX ARTS ESPOSITION/FLORENCE' (right of base), on an associated plinth
marble
4914 in. (125.1 cm.) high, the group
90 in. (228.6 cm.) high, overall
Special notice
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Lot Essay

Donato Barcaglia (1849-1930) was both a sculptor and architect and studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. His was a precocious talent, exhibiting his first work at the age of 17 in 1866. His contemporary critics were quick to compare him with Canova and Barcaglia swiftly established a prominent studio and enjoyed a highly successful career. His works were exhibited internationally, winning major awards. By 1880, models of Love Blinds, also known as Amore Accieca or L'Amour rend aveugle, were shown across the world in Vienna, Florence, Rome, at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, the Exposition Universelle in Paris and in L’Esposizione di Parigi in Milan. In this composition, the sensual swerving contrapposto leads the viewer up to the point of central action. Barcaglia imbued the large marble with a crisp attention to detail, emphasis on movement and the technical virtuosity that established his reputation.

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