| Pietro
Bracci was a leading sculptor of eighteenth-century Rome, but the
dispersal of his drawings has hampered study of the interplay between
his approach to design and his response to Rome's vast artistic heritage.
Using a group of Bracci drawings acquired by the Canadian Centre for
Architecture as their point d'appui,Elisabeth Kieven and John
Pinto have prepared a long-overdue catalogue of Bracci's complete
study collection, from preliminary sketches to finished presentation
drawings. Kieven and Pinto discuss the origin and function of each
drawing and offer a wealth of new insights into Bracci's remarkable
skill at integrating sculpture into Rome's grand buildings and public
spaces.
Bracci won some of the most sought-after commissions in eighteenth-century
Rome, including monuments in Saint Peter's and the allegorical figures
of the Trevi Fountain. Kieven's and Pinto's introductory essays
situate these and other commissions in the history of Roman architecture
and urbanism, survey Bracci's career, and explore the context of
his drawing practices. Considered together, the Bracci drawings
shed important new light on the collaborative relationship between
architects and sculptors in the design of one of the art capitals
of the world.
Kieven and Pinto's book concludes with a catalogue raisonné
of the entire corpus of drawings ascribed to Bracci and his son
Virginio. In addition, their book illustrates all of Bracci's drawings
and provides transcriptions of key documents. |
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