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Lot Essay
This effigy, attributed to the Neapolitan sculptor Giovanni Marigliano, also known as Giovanni da Nola, depicts the kneeling figure of Riccardo Rota (d. 1392). The figure’s identity is confirmed by both the inscription at the base of the monument and the emblem of an eight-spoke wheel that adorns his armour, the symbol of the house of Rota. The statue was commissioned by one of Riccardo’s descendants, the poet Bernardino Rota (c.1508-1575), as part of the decoration of the family’s chapel in San Domenico Maggiore in Naples in the 1540s. Riccardo had served as a celebrated warrior under Queen Giovanna I of Naples (c.1326-1382) and received lands in the Basilicata region in return for his service to the crown, thereby elevating the Rota family’s social standing. It has been suggested that Bernardino’s commission of an image of his ancestor was likely intended to link the family, whose success and fortune had dwindled by the sixteenth century, to their ancestor’s heroic exploits. This is supported by the effigy’s inscription that describes Riccardo as a ‘MAGNIFICI MILITIS’, meaning magnificent soldier or knight. The source for the effigy’s inscription is likely to have been taken from Riccardo’s sarcophagus from c.1516 in the Villa De Capoa, Campobasso, given the direct similarities in both the choice of words and lettering (Ascher, 2005, op. cit.).
Aside from identifying his familial ties, the clothing which Riccardo wears would have made him recognisable as a historic figure to sixteenth-century viewers. His garments include elements of military dress out of fashion by the time of the effigy’s execution such as the jerkin worn over his armour (Ascher, 2002, op. cit., p. 166).
The knight is shown kneeling in supplication, his helmet placed on the ground beside him and his right hand resting on his chest over his heart. The sculpture is likely to have been part of a larger compositional programme, centred around an image of the Virgin to whom Riccardo would have been supplicating. The unfinished reverse also suggests that the work was once set against a wall. The effigy of Riccardo Rota shows stylistic similarities to other works attributed to da Nola also dated to the 1540s. These include the figure of Christ in a relief of the Lamentation in Santa Maria delle Grazie Maggiore and the head of John the Baptist on the Arcella family altar in San Domenico Maggiore.
Da Nola was a skilled sculptor in both marble and wood, having initially trained under the wood carver Pietro Belverte (d.1513). He became a popular choice in Naples for the decoration of noble family chapels and he and his workshop were responsible for many sepulchral monuments completed in the region in the early sixteenth century. One of his most celebrated and lavish examples was that of Don Pedro of Toledo and Maria Ossorio Pimental in the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli, Naples (c.1550-1570).
An unusually large work attributed to da Nola to appear on the art market, this effigy highlights the skills thanks to which the sculptor became famous; working in marble on a large-scale he was able to depict emotive, dynamic figures particularly suited to sepulchral commemoration.
Aside from identifying his familial ties, the clothing which Riccardo wears would have made him recognisable as a historic figure to sixteenth-century viewers. His garments include elements of military dress out of fashion by the time of the effigy’s execution such as the jerkin worn over his armour (Ascher, 2002, op. cit., p. 166).
The knight is shown kneeling in supplication, his helmet placed on the ground beside him and his right hand resting on his chest over his heart. The sculpture is likely to have been part of a larger compositional programme, centred around an image of the Virgin to whom Riccardo would have been supplicating. The unfinished reverse also suggests that the work was once set against a wall. The effigy of Riccardo Rota shows stylistic similarities to other works attributed to da Nola also dated to the 1540s. These include the figure of Christ in a relief of the Lamentation in Santa Maria delle Grazie Maggiore and the head of John the Baptist on the Arcella family altar in San Domenico Maggiore.
Da Nola was a skilled sculptor in both marble and wood, having initially trained under the wood carver Pietro Belverte (d.1513). He became a popular choice in Naples for the decoration of noble family chapels and he and his workshop were responsible for many sepulchral monuments completed in the region in the early sixteenth century. One of his most celebrated and lavish examples was that of Don Pedro of Toledo and Maria Ossorio Pimental in the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli, Naples (c.1550-1570).
An unusually large work attributed to da Nola to appear on the art market, this effigy highlights the skills thanks to which the sculptor became famous; working in marble on a large-scale he was able to depict emotive, dynamic figures particularly suited to sepulchral commemoration.