Carlo Albacini

Carlo Albacini (c. 1770- c. 1810)
(Circle of) 

“La Zingarella” 

White marble 

23 3/8 in. (59.5 cm) high 

Carlo Albacini, student of the great sculptor and restorer Bartolomeo Cavaceppi, was a carver who specialised in all things antique, including both restorations of excavated marbles and contemporary creations of the most sought after models from ancient times. He counted amongst his patrons Henry Blundell, of the famed Ince Blundell marbles, and the Dukes of Devonshire. For comparative examples of his works see the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

Dating from the late 18th/ early 19th Century the exhibition bust is a superior quality example of one of the most recognisable busts from ancient times. It depicts a beautiful, serene young girl whose high status is communicated through her noble, slightly raised head and confident gaze. Her himation is swathed around her neck and head so that only her face is showing; this  image was first found within greek terracottas of the 4th Century BC and the primary version in marble can be found in the Farnese collection, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples. 

Commonly known as “La Zingarella” the bust is generally accepted as depicting a Vestal Virgin, possibly Tuccia, who proved her doubted chastity by carrying a sieve full of water from the Tiber to the Temple of Vesta.  

Related Literature:

Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Foreign Catalogue, Text, p. 284-28, &plates p. 411 – 414 

Related Literature: 

B.T., Maiuri, Museo Naz. Napoli (1971) Nr.32