Johann Bernhard FISCHER VON ERLACH (1656 - 1723) - Lot 228

Johann Bernhard FISCHER VON ERLACH (1656 - 1723) Semiramis Terracotta 60 x 50 x 35 cm (damage to bird) The leading architect of the Austrian Baroque, von Erlach imported to Central Europe the architectural language of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini and Carlo Fontana, learned during a long stay in Rome (1671-1683). Fischer worked in the Schor workshop, a famous family of architects, decorators, sculptors and painters from South Tyrol, closely linked to Bernini's workshop. From 1683 to 1687, in the company of Filippo Schor, he stayed in Naples, in the retinue of Viceroy Gaspar de Haro y Guzmán, Marquis del Carpio. Appointed first architect of Imperial Vienna in 1704, he built a large number of churches and palaces, including Schönbrunn and the Church of St. Charles Borromeo in Vienna. Also a sculptor, he created a portrait of Emperor Leopold I for the Plague Column in Vienna (lost), for which he sketched the bas-reliefs of the base (1687-1688), designed vases, fountains and numerous medals, directed stucco decoration campaigns and created a marble statue of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary for the altar of the Mint Chapel in Naples (lost). von Erlach's sculptural works were mainly known through archives. A few months ago, a new sculpture by the artist appeared: a bust of Penthelese, Queen of the Amazons. Identified by Leticia de Frutos in the course of her research into the Marquis del Carpio's patronage, the historian found a list of works of art sent by the viceroy from Naples to Madrid in 1687, in which another mythical queen of antiquity, Semiramis, appears as a counterpart to Penthelese. The inventory describes this bust as "con murion en la cabesa a modo de faja rep(resen)ta Semiramis Reina de Asia y Asorie, echa en Roma del d(ic)ho con su piedestalo utsupra". This description allows us to identify this bust of Semiramis as an autograph modello executed by v on Erlach for the now-unknown marble. The iconography of the work is very well suited to the representation of Semiramis. According to legend, Semiramis is raised by doves, whose form she takes upon her death, explaining the central role of the dove on the figure's right shoulder. This presence probably justifies the bird on Pentheles' helmet, for symmetry's sake. The dress revealing her right breast clearly alludes to her legendary lust, earning her a prominent place in Dante's Inferno (V, 55-56). The del Carpio document also testifies that, in the marble version, von Erlach accentuated Semiramis' warrior character, imposing a helmet on her to reinforce the visual parallelism with the bust of Penthelesia. The close stylistic and iconographic affinity with this marble bust not only allows the attribution to von Erlach, but also makes the link with the Marquis del Carpio's commission. The cut of the bust is identical, and there are many points of comparison in the facial features: the oval shape, the flattened nose, the drooping corners of the mouth, the line of the shoulders and the deeply incised drapery. The winged mascaron encircling Semiramis' chest recalls the military activities of this sensual yet warlike queen. The similarity of dimensions, the symmetry of the inclinations of the heads, shoulders and exposed breasts, and the recurring bird motif prove that our terracotta was created at the same time, with the aim of forming a pair with the Aranjuez marble. As for the chronology of the work, the Spanish document indicates that it was executed in Rome between 1677 and 1682, the date of del Carpio's embassy to the Pope. Thus, together with the Aranjuez marble Penthésilée, the Semiramis provides an unhoped-for basis for a new era of research into this aspect of the great Austrian architect's work.