Doccia Manufactory, Judith and Holofernes at LACMA Edit this entry Judith and Holoferenes, Doccia Manufactory, c.1740s. After Agostino Cornacchini, 18th century. Porcelain with glaze on ebony base. A Reluctant Dilettante Humanities + New Media + Economic Development Home About CV Resume Index Judith and Holofernes After Agostino Cornacchini (Italy, 1686-1754) Doccia Manufactory (Italy, Florence, founded 1737) Italy, original model 1722-1723, this example circa 1746-1750 Sculpture Doccia porcelain with original wood base 21 3/4 17 12 in. (55.25 43.18 30.48 cm) Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.2004.175) The story of Judith and Holoferenes comes from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith in the Bible; it concerns a beautiful widow, Judith, from the city of Bethulia. With the Assyrian army camped outside the walls, ready to attack the city, Judith enters the enemy camp by guile and seduces the Assyrian general Holoferenes. The latter, apparently, passes out drunk before anything sexual actually takes place, at which point Judith proceeds to decapitate him. Without a leader, the Assyrian army disperses, and Israel is saved. By now you might be aware of my penchant for the more serious scenes in art, and this one is an especially lovely example. The Doccia Manufactory was founded by Florentine Marchese Carlo Ginori in 1735, securing a monopoly on porcelain production in Tuscany, with 1746 marking the first public sales. The chief modeller was Gaspare Bruschi. Made from a rougher clay, it is a gray-tinted hard paste porcelain with rather coarse edges that does not admit of careful detailing (you can see this especially well in this example). It proves, however, perfect for the Baroque/Rococo examples the manufactory produced in the 18th century, allowing for the rounded volumes and rather rough details of the period (see Bruschis modelling of the Farnese Hercules). Judith and Holofernes (detail). After Agostino Cornacchini, 18th century. Porcelain with glaze on ebony base. Particularly interesting (the punctum as Roland Barthes would say, if you like that sort of thing) is the manner in which the central scene is framed on the left by the headless body of Holofernes and on the right by Judiths maid. They form almost a crescent that emphasizes the verticals of Judith with the head of Holofernes, presented rather gleefully to the viewer. The head itself references Michelangelos famous self- portrait in the Sistine Chapels Last Judgement, with the mouth hanging open and the skin loose and sagging, while the eyebrows in turn give him a pathos that looks to the famous Laocoon (see below). Judith points gracefully at Holoferenes prone body to her right (her hand is amazingly detailed), exaggerating the twisting movement of the contrapposto as she brings the head forward and points back at Holofernes; this is beautifully captured by the modelling of the drapery. Then, of course, theres the heroines serene look; she displays no compunction at the cruelty of her act, instead revelling on her triumph in saving Israel from destruction and, in the process, renewing the Israelites faith in their God. This is a story with a clear-cut moral that admits no gradations. It is, indeed, truly a masterpiece, one that were lucky to have in Los Angeles. Laocoon. Hellenistic Sculpture, now in the Museo Pio Clementino in the Vatican doccia, ginori, lacma, porcelain, sculpture Tags Collecting Old Masters, Eighteenth Century, Humanities, Porcelain, Sculpture Categories No comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL Leave a Reply FollowviaFacebook FollowviaLinkedin FollowviaTwitter FollowviaGoogle FollowviaPinterest FollowviaInstagram FollowviaTumblr