Date
1801-1803
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Historical allegory
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Painting Collection
About The Work
The competition for a painting to represent the Republic's gratitude towards Napoleon was officially declared on 3 April 1801. The painting was intended for the Foro Bonaparte, a new administrative centre designed, but never built, by the architect Giovanni Antonio Antolini for the city of Milan, as part of a broader and more ambitious celebratory programme that was to involve the best "national painters".
The winner was to be awarded a prize of one thousand zecchini. The designated conclusion period was established as 5^(th) June 1802. The competitors were Francesco Alberi, from Rimini, who was a professor of painting at the Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts in his city; Vincenzo Antono Revelli, from Turin; Maria Callani, from Parma; and Domenico Aspari, from Milan, who was a professor of Elementi di Figura at Brera Academy. As the exhibition drew to a close, the painting by Giuseppe Bossi, secretary of the Brera Academy, was declared the winner and destined for the National Palace in Milan.
A notable exception was that of the elderly painter Paolo Borroni from Voghera, who, despite being unable to complete his painting in a timely manner due to illness, still managed to have the work purchased by the government upon its completion in 1803. The painting was discovered in 1995 during the systematic cataloguing of the painting collections of the Pinacoteca and the Brera Academy, and was subsequently restored in 2018.
The theme is developed according to a complex allegory, carefully described and explained in the booklet celebrating the artist, one year after his death ("Elogio storico" 1820. 11).
Near a large column in the centre of the Foro Bonaparte, Napoleon offers the fasces (symbol of Roman authority) to the Italian Republic, portrayed as a dignified Roman matron. As a sign of gratitude, she places her left hand on her heart, while, with her right hand, she to the allegory of Sculpture engraving a dedication to Napoleon upon the column. Above him appears Time, who, having abandoned his scythe, rises in flight and hands him a crown to eternalise his deeds.
Behind Italy, the Arts (Music, Painting and Architecture) pay homage. Calliope appear beside the column, accompanied by the soul of Virgil. Napoleon leads the Victory. Minerva, and a procession of warriors follow them. The composition is enclosed by a Doric temple, and by oak and laurel trees, emblems of strength and victory, conveying a message of glory and stability.
The scene is framed by a Doric temple on the right, while, on the left, there is an oak tree, symbol of strength, and a laurel tree, symbol of victory, which close the allegory with a clear message of glory and stability.
The winner was to be awarded a prize of one thousand zecchini. The designated conclusion period was established as 5^(th) June 1802. The competitors were Francesco Alberi, from Rimini, who was a professor of painting at the Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts in his city; Vincenzo Antono Revelli, from Turin; Maria Callani, from Parma; and Domenico Aspari, from Milan, who was a professor of Elementi di Figura at Brera Academy. As the exhibition drew to a close, the painting by Giuseppe Bossi, secretary of the Brera Academy, was declared the winner and destined for the National Palace in Milan.
A notable exception was that of the elderly painter Paolo Borroni from Voghera, who, despite being unable to complete his painting in a timely manner due to illness, still managed to have the work purchased by the government upon its completion in 1803. The painting was discovered in 1995 during the systematic cataloguing of the painting collections of the Pinacoteca and the Brera Academy, and was subsequently restored in 2018.
The theme is developed according to a complex allegory, carefully described and explained in the booklet celebrating the artist, one year after his death ("Elogio storico" 1820. 11).
Near a large column in the centre of the Foro Bonaparte, Napoleon offers the fasces (symbol of Roman authority) to the Italian Republic, portrayed as a dignified Roman matron. As a sign of gratitude, she places her left hand on her heart, while, with her right hand, she to the allegory of Sculpture engraving a dedication to Napoleon upon the column. Above him appears Time, who, having abandoned his scythe, rises in flight and hands him a crown to eternalise his deeds.
Behind Italy, the Arts (Music, Painting and Architecture) pay homage. Calliope appear beside the column, accompanied by the soul of Virgil. Napoleon leads the Victory. Minerva, and a procession of warriors follow them. The composition is enclosed by a Doric temple, and by oak and laurel trees, emblems of strength and victory, conveying a message of glory and stability.
The scene is framed by a Doric temple on the right, while, on the left, there is an oak tree, symbol of strength, and a laurel tree, symbol of victory, which close the allegory with a clear message of glory and stability.
Title
La Riconoscenza della Repubblica Italiana a Napoleone
Creator
Paolo Borroni
Subject
Historical allegory
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Competitions and artistic fellowships, 1802
Date
1801-1803
Technique / Support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
cm 381 x 517
Acquisition
Purchased from Paolo Borroni, 1803
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Painting Collection
Inventory number
Collezione dell'Accademia di Brera
Bibliography
"Elogio storico del cavaliere Paolo Borroni pittor vogherese scritto da G.M. Scaramuzza". Milano : dalla tipografia di Gaetano Motta, 1820. 11. Musiari, Antonio. Entry no. 20. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Addenda e apparati generali, Musei e Gallerie di Milano, edited by Fernando Mazzocca. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1996. 44–46, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Il ritorno in Accademia di un grande quadro per Napoleone, study day (Milano, Accademia di Brera, Sala Napoleonica, 3 December 2018). Edited by Mathias Favarato, Anna Mariani e Chiara Nenci. Unpublished proceedings.
Napoleone e l'Accademia, virtual exhibition, edited by Anna Mariani, Chiara Nenci, Sophia Radici, and Sara Rizzi, 2021 (napoleoneelaccademia.it).
Il ritorno in Accademia di un grande quadro per Napoleone, study day (Milano, Accademia di Brera, Sala Napoleonica, 3 December 2018). Edited by Mathias Favarato, Anna Mariani e Chiara Nenci. Unpublished proceedings.
Napoleone e l'Accademia, virtual exhibition, edited by Anna Mariani, Chiara Nenci, Sophia Radici, and Sara Rizzi, 2021 (napoleoneelaccademia.it).
Conservation status
Good
Restoration history
Conservation work carried out in 2016 by Nicola Restauri S.r.l
Type of intervention
Preliminary documentation; surface cleaning; paint film consolidation; removal of altered varnish; filling of losses; paint restoration; final varnishing.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Nicola Restauri S.r.l
Type of intervention
Preliminary documentation; surface cleaning; paint film consolidation; removal of altered varnish; filling of losses; paint restoration; final varnishing.
Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Nicola Restauri S.r.l
Frame, base, secondary support
Modern frame
Unique identifier
0300663613