Date
1873
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Artistic Anatomy Lesson at the Venice Royal Academy
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
About The Work
In 1873, Giacomo Favretto presented La lezione di anatomia ("The Anatomy Lesson") at the Brera Exhibition. The work marked his first major success and was immediately acquired by the Accademia di Brera.
The painting depicts his mentor at the Accademia di Venezia, Pompeo Molmenti (1819–1894), as he explains anatomy before a plaster cast of Houdon’s Écorché, an essential teaching aid in use in academies since the late eighteenth century. Beside him, the group includes Count Zanetti, the painter Sommariva, and the artist himself. Beyond the column, the school’s caretaker is glimpsed sitting in a watchful pose, while a student turns his back to the scene.
This work belongs to a series of the artist’s early paintings dedicated to art schools, such as La scuola del disegno (formerly in the Brass collection) and La scuola del nudo (private collection). Compared to these earlier efforts, La lezione di anatomia stands out for its newfound maturity. Despite the painting's modest scale, Favretto orchestrates a masterly composition centred on the anatomical model, which emerges in full light from the classroom’s shadows. The innovation of the work lies in this realistic use of light, rendered with a loose, vibrant brushwork that captures the artist’s acute observational gaze: every object and face is rendered with the depth and precision of a true portrait. Furthermore, the painting was deeply rooted in the contemporary debate regarding the role of academies and the reform of art education, a debate that, during the 1870s, championed a shift towards increasingly rigorous study from life.
The painting depicts his mentor at the Accademia di Venezia, Pompeo Molmenti (1819–1894), as he explains anatomy before a plaster cast of Houdon’s Écorché, an essential teaching aid in use in academies since the late eighteenth century. Beside him, the group includes Count Zanetti, the painter Sommariva, and the artist himself. Beyond the column, the school’s caretaker is glimpsed sitting in a watchful pose, while a student turns his back to the scene.
This work belongs to a series of the artist’s early paintings dedicated to art schools, such as La scuola del disegno (formerly in the Brass collection) and La scuola del nudo (private collection). Compared to these earlier efforts, La lezione di anatomia stands out for its newfound maturity. Despite the painting's modest scale, Favretto orchestrates a masterly composition centred on the anatomical model, which emerges in full light from the classroom’s shadows. The innovation of the work lies in this realistic use of light, rendered with a loose, vibrant brushwork that captures the artist’s acute observational gaze: every object and face is rendered with the depth and precision of a true portrait. Furthermore, the painting was deeply rooted in the contemporary debate regarding the role of academies and the reform of art education, a debate that, during the 1870s, championed a shift towards increasingly rigorous study from life.
Title
Una lezione anatomica nella R. Accademia di Venezia
Creator
Giacomo Favretto
Subject
Artistic Anatomy Lesson at the Venice Royal Academy
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Collection
Date
1873
Inscriptions
Signed and dated lower right: "Giac. Favretto 187[3]"
Technique / Support
Oil on panel
Visual analysis of the technique
Favretto employed a realist oil painting technique with a compact and vivid brushwork, carefully capturing textures and figures. He skillfully contrasts dark and light areas, making the white of the sculpture in the painting stand out against the darker surroundings.
Dimensions
cm 43 x 27
Acquisition
Purchased from Giacomo Favretto at the Esposizione delle opere di Belle Arti nel Palazzo di Brera, 1873
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Inventory number
Collezione dell'Accademia di Brera
Bibliography
Perocco, Guido and Trevisan, Renzo. Giacomo Favretto. Torino: Umberto Allemandi & C. 1986. no. 11, 48-49, ill.
Farese Sperken, Christine. Entry no. 276. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, I, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1993. 256, ill.
Serafini, Paolo. Entry no. 80. In Ottocento, Da Canova al Quarto Stato, exhibition catalogue (Roma, Scuderie del Quirinale, 29 February - 10 June 2008) edited by Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, Fernando Mazzocca, Carlo Sisi. Milano: Skira 2008. 252, 253 ill.
Serafini, Paolo. Entry no. 16. In Giacomo Favretto (1849-1887). Venezia, fascino e seduzione, exhibition catalogue (Roma, Chiostro del Bramante, 23 April - 11 July 2010; Venezia, Museo Correr, 31 July - 21 November 2010), edited by Serafini, Paolo. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): Silvana Editoriale 2010. 178-179, 115 ill. Molinari, Luca, Rasenti, Federica and Mosetti, Alessandro Virgilio. “Brera e le sue comunità”. In La Grande Brera. Una comunità di arti e scienze, exhibition catalogue (Milano, Palazzo Citterio, 7 December 2024 - 13 April 2025), edited by Molinari, Luca. Venezia: Marsilio Arte, 2025. no 3, 27, ill.
Farese Sperken, Christine. Entry no. 276. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, I, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1993. 256, ill.
Serafini, Paolo. Entry no. 80. In Ottocento, Da Canova al Quarto Stato, exhibition catalogue (Roma, Scuderie del Quirinale, 29 February - 10 June 2008) edited by Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, Fernando Mazzocca, Carlo Sisi. Milano: Skira 2008. 252, 253 ill.
Serafini, Paolo. Entry no. 16. In Giacomo Favretto (1849-1887). Venezia, fascino e seduzione, exhibition catalogue (Roma, Chiostro del Bramante, 23 April - 11 July 2010; Venezia, Museo Correr, 31 July - 21 November 2010), edited by Serafini, Paolo. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): Silvana Editoriale 2010. 178-179, 115 ill. Molinari, Luca, Rasenti, Federica and Mosetti, Alessandro Virgilio. “Brera e le sue comunità”. In La Grande Brera. Una comunità di arti e scienze, exhibition catalogue (Milano, Palazzo Citterio, 7 December 2024 - 13 April 2025), edited by Molinari, Luca. Venezia: Marsilio Arte, 2025. no 3, 27, ill.
Conservation status
Fair
Frame, base, secondary support
The painting is set in a rectangular, box-style, gilt, molded frame measuring 58 × 41.5 cm.
Unique identifier
0300663664