For centuries the work was attributed to Agostino Fasolato, a sculptor whose life is little known. One of the oldest reports of the sculptural work was that of Giovambattista Rossetti who, in his Description of the sculptures, paintings and architecture of Padua
, dated 1765, includes the work among the city’s principal attractions, classifying it as a “a truly incredible work, one that was not even attempted in Ancient Greece”. In 1858, the American writer Herman Melville spoke of the sculpture at a conference held in the city of Cincinnati, an event that goes to show how this sculpture continued to surprise people throughout the 19th century, even abroad. Subsequent studies have led to scholars doubting the idea that this was a work by Agostino Fasolato, due both to the absence of works produced by said sculptor, and by the presence of documents proving his role as stonemason or stone engraver, just like the numerous other men called Fasolato working the Padua area between the 17th and 18th centuries, and thus a person of more limited capacities than an actual sculptor.
The work is at Gallerie d'Italia - Vicenza
.
For centuries the work was attributed to Agostino Fasolato, a sculptor whose life is little known. One of the oldest reports of the sculptural work was that of Giovambattista Rossetti who, in his Description of the sculptures, paintings and architecture of Padua
, dated 1765, includes the work among the city’s principal attractions, classifying it as a “a truly incredible work, one that was not even attempted in Ancient Greece”. In 1858, the American writer Herman Melville spoke of the sculpture at a conference held in the city of Cincinnati, an event that goes to show how this sculpture continued to surprise people throughout the 19th century, even abroad. Subsequent studies have led to scholars doubting the idea that this was a work by Agostino Fasolato, due both to the absence of works produced by said sculptor, and by the presence of documents proving his role as stonemason or stone engraver, just like the numerous other men called Fasolato working the Padua area between the 17th and 18th centuries, and thus a person of more limited capacities than an actual sculptor.
The work is at Gallerie d'Italia - Vicenza
.