The previous post closed with a comparison between hairstyles from Roman times and the Renaissance and a contemporary collection. That post also mentioned Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi (1460-1528), also known as l'Antico ("The Ancient") for his knowledge of classical sculpture. So, let's move from him and in particular from one of his works, the Venus Felix (ca. 1510), to make another comparison with a contemporary collection.
Trained initially as a goldsmith, Bonacolsi was a talented artist and his expertise extended to crafting medals and plaquettes. Serving as the principal court sculptor to the Gonzaga family, he achieved a significant milestone by reintroducing the indirect method of bronze casting, a technique not employed since antiquity.
The resplendent bronzes he produced, adorned with burnished gold, brilliant silver, and rich black tones, showcased his ingenuity and technical prowess as a goldsmith. These opulent creations, so exquisitely classical in style, were deemed by the Gonzaga family as "surrogate antiques" and placed among their magnificent collection of ancient art.
Inspired by a monumental Roman marble sculpture in the Vatican (Venus Felix with Cupid – her head also resembled Faustina The Younger's View this photo), he created a graceful female figure in bronze about 30 centimeters tall. The sculpture, partially gilded and finished with a black lacquer rested upon a decorated limewood base, adorned with nine coins bearing the names of the emperors Gordian III, Philip the Younger, Valerian, Probus, and Constantine.
L'Antico did not employ genuine gold imperial coins, but simple antoniniani in silver alloy - readily available on the market in his time - giving them a faux gilding that doesn't make them look inappropriately cheap next to the rest of the work (in jewelry and applied arts, numismatic insert coins were often used as decorative elements for their aesthetic beauty or their symbolic value).
Rather than just replicating the classical statue that inspired this work, l'Antico reimagined it, ingeniously reinterpreting it, fusing it with heightened sensuality and erotic appeal, allowing the deity's cloak to slip below the pudendum, and adorning the statuette with gold finishes and sumptuous gilding. Venus Felix is currently part of the collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien.
In fashion, Viktor & Rolf drew inspiration from classical statues for their A/W 2009 collection, incorporating in their stiff wool designs details reminiscent of classical drapery in a stone grey and marble white palette reminiscent of the muse Melpomene at the Louvre.
Versace's A/W 24 collection also includes a few designs that echo antiquities, particularly the Venus Felix's iconic draped cloak slipping from her body (also the colours of the Venus - that interplay of bronze, gold and black - goes well with Versace's trademark aesthetic…).
You may argue that another inspiration for this style may be the Venus de Milo (View this photo), but in this Greek marble sculpture the drapery (View this photo) is not as structured as in Bonacolsi's statue.
In the latter the fabric seems to fall into structured folds, like in Versace's mini-skirts and evening gowns from the A/W 24 collection, also donned by Anne Hathaway during the fashion house's ready-to-wear show and by Margot Robbie at the 96th Academy Awards.
The statuesque allure of these garments, though visually arresting, presents a practical challenge: both Hathaway and Robbie found themselves somewhat constrained while seated, as if the bustier, conceived to replicate the rigid bust of a statue, was too tight.
Also in Givenchy's A/W 24 collection there was a nod to the effect of Venus' draped cloak gently slipping from her body. With the departure of creative director Matthew M. Williams, the studio team unveiled designs that showcased sculptural elements, such as draped pencil skirts.
For those seeking a less static and more dynamic and whimsical portrayal of Venus, as the weekend is approaching, opt for a light film and re-watch William A. Seiter's "One Touch of Venus" (1948), featuring Ava Gardner in the role of a statue that comes to life after Eddie, a window dresser in a department store, kisses her.
Fashion bonus in the film: Gardner, evoking a Greek coin beauty, graces the screen in a white jersey draped dress by Orry Kelly.
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