The Trust in God
Lorenzo Bartolini , ca. 1836
Description
This sculpture was commissioned from Lorenzo Bartolini by Rosina Trivulzio Poldi Pezzoli, mother of Gian Giacomo. A few years earlier, in 1828, the sculptor had made the bust-portrait of the woman, also exhibited in the museum’s halls. Widowed in 1833, Rosina asked Bartolini for a statue that would express her abandonment in faith after mourning. Bartolini gave form to these feelings through a young nude figure, seated, her hands clasped in a devout attitude. Because of the very high quality of the marble workmanship, combined with the ethical and religious value of the subject, the work had great success and praise from critics. Before being delivered to its commissioner, the statue was exhibited in Florence, Parma, and, in 1837, at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.
Data Sheet
Author
Lorenzo Bartolini, 1777-1850
Date
ca. 1836
Material and technique
marble
Measures
93 cm x 43 cm x 64 cm
Acquisition
Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli bequest, 1879
Inventory number
1117
location
Black Room
The Black Room is one of the Museum’s historic rooms, originally the living room of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli’s apartment. Inspired by the Northern Renaissance style, evoked by the large Flemish polyptych displayed on the wall, it continued to be called Sala Nera despite the destruction of the very fine ebony panelling. Fortunately, the furniture and doors, designed by Giuseppe Bertini and made by the team of artisans Giuseppe Speluzzi, Luigi Barzaghi and Pietro Zaneletti, survived the bombing.