10 CESARE TARGONE
Italian (active in Rome,
Florence, and Venice),
active late sixteenth century
The Virgin Mourning the
Dead Christ, 1586-1587
Repousse gold relief
on an obsidian background
Gold relief: 28.9 x 26 cm
(ll^3 /sx 10 ^4 in.)
Obsidian background: 38.4 x 26.5 cm
(151/8 x 107 /i6in.)
Inscribed below Christ's feet:
OPVS. CESARIS. TAR. VENETI
84.SE.121This relief is the only known signed work by the Venetian goldsmith Cesare Targone,
who also worked in Rome and Florence and served as a dealer in antique gems for
prestigious patrons like the Medici grand dukes. For Ferdinando I de' Medici, Targone
produced gold reliefs based on models by Giambologna to be set on exotic stone
backgrounds of green jasper and amethyst. These were part of the decoration of the
famous "Tribuna," an octagonal room in the Uffizi, Florence, built to display famous
works of art and precious objects owned by the Medici. The Virgin Mourning the Dead
Christ would have fitted well into such a collection because of its rare, costly materials,
its small scale, and the virtuosity of its execution. It is a masterful example of gold
repousse technique, in which a thin sheet of gold is pressed over a model or is worked
manually from behind to create forms in relief. The goldsmith then worked the soft
material from the front, refining details and creating a variety of textures, seen here,
for example, in the hair and beard of Christ and the mossy ground upon which he lies.
The setting of the brilliant gold relief on to black obsidian (a volcanic glass) heightens
the effect of splendor. The figures dominate the panel, creating an impression of
monumentality that contradicts the relatively small scale of the object, increasing
the sense of wonder.
The scene represents the Virgin, standing behind the body of the dead Christ, her
hands clasped in a gesture of lamentation, her head turned in stark profile. Christ lies
upon the winding sheet, his upper body supported by the sloping hillside, his eyes and
mouth slightly open. The isolation of the two figures recalls the devotional image of the
Pieta, in which the Virgin supports the body of her dead son on her lap. The standing
Virgin and the body of Christ laid out on the ground are reminiscent of lamentation
scenes in painting or sculpture that typically include many mourning figures. This relief
combines and distills these sources, placing devotional focus upon the body of Christ
and the restrained grief of the Virgin. The image seems timeless, the black background
merely suggesting that the scene takes place during the darkest hours of the night.
Similar episodes from the Passion of Christ are known in sketches and in reliefs in
wax, bronze, and gold by, or associated with, Guglielmo della Porta (died 1577),
the most important sculptor working in Rome after Michelangelo's death. MC38 EUROPEAN SCULPTURE