CHAPTER I.

PAGE

My motive for writing these Memoirs—My father's family—Removal of the family to Florence—My childhood—My father takes me to Pistoia, but I run away from his house to return to my mother—From Pistoia I go with my father to Prato—My first study in drawing—Strong impression made upon me by an old print—My father's opposition to my studies—My sorrow at being so far from my mother—I run the risk of being burnt—Having grown tall, fears are entertained for my health—I return to my mother at Florence and work with Ammanati—I go to Siena and study ornate design in the Academy—Carlo Pini gives me lessons in drawing the human figure—Signor Angelo Barbetti's prophecy—I run away from Siena, and on foot go to my mother at Florence—Signor Paolo Sani—Death of my sister Clementina—My mother's infirmity of eyesight—My brother Lorenzo goes to the poorhouse—My aversion to learn reading and writing—My first library, and inexperience of books,

1

CHAPTER II.

Without knowing it, I was doing what Leonardo advises—New way of decorating the walls of one's house—I wish to study design at the Academy, but cannot carry this into effect—A bottle of anise-seed cordial—Intelligent people are benevolent, not so those of mediocre minds—The statues in the Piazza della Signoria and alabaster figures—The discovery of a hidden well—My father returns home without work, and leaves for Rome—Young Signor Emilio del Fabris—Sea-baths and cholera at Leghorn—With help I save a woman from drowning—I go to San Piero di Bagno—My uncle the provost dies—My father returns from Rome, and settles in Florence—My work, a group of a Holy Family, is stolen—Description of this group,

18

CHAPTER III.

A punishment well deserved, and my satisfaction—Different times, different customs—The use of the birch given up in schools—A portrait—Companions and bad habits—How I became acquainted with my dear Marina—My first time of speaking with her—Difficulty to obtain my mother's consent to our marriage—She makes trouble, thinking to do well—I am sent away from my betrothed, and return to bad habits—An escapade—The public baths of Vaga-Loggia—My clothes stolen,

35

CHAPTER IV.

Return to the house of my betrothed, and put an end to my thoughtless ways—A talking parrot—He who does not wish to read these pages knows what he has to do—How I went to prison, and how I passed my time there—"The Death of Ferruccio," by the painter Bertoli—Signor Luigi Magi, the sculptor—How I learnt to become economical—Shirts with plaited wrist-bands—The first love-kiss, and a little bunch of lemon-verbena—My marriage—My wife has doubts as to my resolution of studying sculpture—Pacetti's shop in Palazzo Borghese—I sell the "Santa Filomena" to a Russian, who re-christens her "Hope"—I begin to work on marble—I make a little crucifix in boxwood, which is bought by Cav. Emanuel Fenzi—Verses by Giovanni Battista Niccolini,

52

CHAPTER V.

A warning to young artists—Professor Cambi's propositions—A financial problem: to increase gain by diminishing the means that produce it—I leave Sani's shop to have more time and liberty to study—An imitation is not so bad, but a falsification is indeed an ugly thing—The Marchesa Poldi and a casket, supposed to be an antique—How a master should be—The death of my mother, September 1840—Opinion of the Academy—The "Tipsy Bacchante"—A divided vote—The "Cariatidi" of the Rossini Theatre at Leghorn,

72

CHAPTER VI.

An unjust law—The "Abel"—Brina the model and I in danger of being asphyxiated—My first request—Benvenuti wishes to change the name of my Abel for that of Adonis—I invite Bartolini to decide on the name of my statue—Bartolini at my studio—His advice and corrections on the Abel—Lorenzo Bartolini—Giuseppe Sabatelli—Exhibition of the Abel—It is said to be cast from life—I ask for a small studio, but do not obtain it—My second and last request—The President Antonio Montalvo—I don't succeed somehow in doing anything as I should—I talk over matters at home—Count del Benino a true friend and true benefactor—His generous action,

89

CHAPTER VII.

The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia and the commission for the Cain and Abel—The Prince of Leuchtenberg and a plate of caviale at CaffÈ Doney—An unusual amusement that did some good—Again the generosity of Count del Benino—Bartolini's Hunchback, and in consequence a return to the Abel—Bartolini gets angry with me—Examination of the materialistic or realistic in art—Effects of the realistic—Do not have girls alone by themselves for models—Subscription got up by the Sienese to have my Abel executed in marble—A new way of curing a cough—Signora Letizia's receipt, who sent it and paid for it herself—One must never offer works gratis, for they are not accepted—The Grand Duchess Marie Antoinetta orders the "Giotto" for the Uffizi—Has Abel killed Cain?—Statue of Pius II.—A foolish opinion and impertinent answer—I defy the law that prohibits eating,

110

CHAPTER VIII.

Literati at my studio, and their influence on my work—Calamatta's opinion of Tenerani, of Bartolini, and of myself—His defence of my Abel in Paris—Pius II.—Academicians and "Naturalisti"—Luigi Venturi—Prince Anatolia Demidoff and the Princess Matilde—The statuette in clay of the Princess Matilde is destroyed—Our minister Nigra presents me to the Emperor Napoleon III.—Beauty does not exist outside of nature—Praise puts one to sleep—The incoherence of Bartolini,

139

CHAPTER IX.

The political reforms of the year 1847 in Tuscany—My first scholars—Ciseri, Prati, Aleardi, Fusinato, Coletti, and Chiarini the improvisatore—Inedited verses by Prati—Giuseppe Verdi—A digression on artistic individuality—The Emperor of Russia's visit to my studio—Reactionary movement of the 12th of April 1849—I am in danger of my life—The return of the Grand Duke,

159

CHAPTER X.

My wife, my little girls, and my work—Death of my brother Lorenzo—Death of Lorenzo Bartolini—The base for the "Tazza"—Eight years of work, only to obtain a living—Mussini and his school—Pollastrini—The school in Via Sant'Apollini—Prince Demidoff and the monument by Bartolini—The Nymph of the Scorpion and the Nymph of the Serpent, by Bartolini—Marchese Ala—Count Arese—The four statuettes for Demidoff—Amerigo of the Prince Corsinis—His Royal Highness Count of Syracuse, a sculptor—"Sant'Antonino" statue at the Uffizi,

179

CHAPTER XI.

Close imitation from life—My illness—I am in danger of losing my life—Luigi del Punta, head physician at Court—The Grand Duke furnishes me with the means for going to Naples—I leave for Naples—A beggar impostor—Another and my boots—Sorrento—My Neapolitan friends—Professor Tartaglia and the hydropathic cure—The museum at Naples—Let us study the good wherever it is to be found—A strange presentation,

203

CHAPTER XII.

Pompeii—A cameo—Sketch for the Bacco della Crittogama—Professor Angelini the sculptor—One must not offer one's hand with too much freedom to ladies—A hard-hearted woman with small intelligence—The San Carlo, the San Carlino, the Fenice, and the Sebeto—Monument by Donatello at Naples—The Barocco and mistaken opinions—Dilettanti in the fine arts—Prince Don Sebastian of Bourbon—Is the beard a sign of being Legitimist or Liberal?—I am taken for a prince or something like one—"The bottle" for doorkeepers and custodi of the public museums of Naples—Phidias, Demosthenes, and Cicero all against Ruggero Bonghi,

223

CHAPTER XIII.

Never make a present of your works—Pope Rezzonico by Canova—Tenerani—Overbeck's theories—Minardi and his school—A woman from the Trastevere who looked like the Venus of Milo—Conventionalists and Realists—An ambitious question and bitter answer—Filippo Gualterio,

242

CHAPTER XIV.

The nude—The statue of David—Rauch—The base of the Tazza—The chapel of the Madonna del Soccorso—Sepulchral monuments for San Lorenzo—The 27th of April 1859—Count Scipione Borghesi—A group of the Deluge—Competition for Wellington's monument, and a great help,

259

CHAPTER XV.

Patience a most essential virtue—Trust was a good man, but Trust-no-one a better—A competition either attracts or drives away men of talent—A study from life of a lion by Marrocchetti—Assistant modellers—Sydenham and its wonders—One of "Abel's" fingers—New judgment of Solomon—An important question—An Indian who speaks about things as they are—Professor Papi and the failure of the first cast in bronze of the "Abel"—A medicine not sold by the chemist,

277

CHAPTER XVI.

On the study of expression from life—The care one must take in making studies from life—A genre picture and Raphael's cartoon of the "Massacre of the Innocents"—I lose myself in London—The housemaid at Hotel Granara—The inconvenience of being ignorant and absent-minded—Ristori and Piccolomini in London—The cartoons of Raphael at Hampton Court—Fantasy runs away with me—A curious but just law—The result of fasting—The villa of Quarto and a prince's "early hour"—Again of Prince Demidoff,

301

CHAPTER XVII.

My father's death—A turn in the omnibus—The Ferrari monument—I keep the "Sappho" for myself—The "Tired Bacchante" and the little model—Raphael and the Fornarina—The Madonna and bas-reliefs at Santa Croce and Cavaliere Sloane—My daughter Amalia and her works—My daughter Beppina—Description of the bas-relief on the faÇade of Santa Croce—I am taken for the wrong person by the Holy Father Pius IX.—Marshal Haynau—Professor Bezzuoli and Haynau's portrait,

322

CHAPTER XVIII.

One of my colleagues—A mysterious voice—The group of the "PietÀ"—Very clear Latin—A professor who ignores the 'Divina Commedia'—Composition of the group of the "PietÀ"—Digression—A good lesson and nervous attack—Mancinelli and Celentano,

345

CHAPTER XIX.

A prophetic dream—Giovanni Strazza—Signor Vonwiller and societies for promoting art—Return from Naples to Rome, and my daughter Luisina's illness—Our return to Florence—Death of Tria the model—The Mossotti monument at Pisa—How it was that I did not make the portrait of his Majesty the King—The competition for Cavour's monument—I go to Turin to pass judgment on it—The "Christ after the Resurrection," a commission of Signor Filippi di Buti—Religious art and Alessandro Manzoni and Gino Capponi—Thought is not free—Cavour's monument—The description of it,

365

CHAPTER XX.

Allegories in art—The Monga monument at Verona—Of my late daughter Luisina—Her death—How I was robbed—Monsignore Archbishop Limberti's charitable project—One of my colleagues—NicolÔ Puccini and the statue of Cardinal Forteguerri—Cesare Sighinolfi—Cardinal Corsi, Archbishop of Pisa,

385

CHAPTER XXI.

The Universal Exhibition at Paris in 1867—The imitators of Vela—Inedited music by Rossini and Gustave DorÉ—Domenico Morelli—Group of Prince Trabia's children and the thieves—"Stick no bills"—The statue of Marshal Pallavicini—The Empress Maria Teresa and Marshal Pallavicini—A memorial monument to Fra Girolamo Savonarola—The Universal Exhibition at Vienna—A tiny room—Excellent and very dear—On harmony of sounds—On the harmony in the animal world—The harmony of the human form as manifested by the inner beauty of the soul—The campanile of St Stephen's and Canova's monument,

402

CHAPTER XXII.

The palace of the Exhibition at Vienna—Why, with my attributes of President, I was in such haste—Michael Angelo and Garibaldi—A Viennese cabman—The Camerini monument—Duke Camerini—An anecdote of his life—Statue of Michael Angelo in the future—The centenary festival of Michael Angelo—Signora Adelina Patti—A greedy young man of little judgment—The Favard monument,

418

CHAPTER XXIII.

Pius IX. objects to having me make his bust—I go to Rome to see the Pope—The Exhibition at Naples—Again on idealism and naturalism—The masters of Italian melody—Vincenzo Bellini and his monument—Conclusion,

438

Index,

453