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Love's Mirror
187585 in. (215.9 cm)
Nicola Cantalamessa-Papotti
Italy (active 1831 - 1910)
Object Type:
Sculpture
Medium and Support:
Marble
Credit Line:
Gift of the Isaac Gordon estate
Accession Number:
1966.20
Location: Currently on view
Collection:
The Daniel C. Powers Collection
When Rochester businessman and art collector Daniel Powers brought this piece home from the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, it made local headlines. One newspaper article admired its “grace and life-likeness rarely met with in modern composition.” The sculpture was on view at Powers’ own gallery downtown for many years, for an admission charge of $.25. Cantalamessa-Papotti also made a portrait of Powers and the monuments for the families of Rochester nurserymen Ellwanger and Barry, at Mt. Hope and Holy Sepulchre cemeteries.
Interpretations of the figures vary: the Powers Gallery catalogue identified the subject as Cupid giving a girl her first lesson in love by means of a mirror, but the figures may in fact be Cupid with his mother Venus, who is often shown holding a mirror. Mythological and allegorical characters were beloved of academic artists, who could illustrate an abstract quality such as vanity while demonstrating their prowess at depicting the human figure.
[Gallery label text, 2011]
Interpretations of the figures vary: the Powers Gallery catalogue identified the subject as Cupid giving a girl her first lesson in love by means of a mirror, but the figures may in fact be Cupid with his mother Venus, who is often shown holding a mirror. Mythological and allegorical characters were beloved of academic artists, who could illustrate an abstract quality such as vanity while demonstrating their prowess at depicting the human figure.
[Gallery label text, 2011]
Provenance
Purchased by D.W. Powers from the Centennial Exposition, 1876.
Keywords
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Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- The International Exhibition of Arts 5/10/1876 - 11/10/1876
Bibliography
This object has the following bibliographic references:
- Article Title: Some New Statuary. Article Scope: Mention. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, NY: Rochester Print Co. Issue Date: March 25 1882. Page Number: 4
- Article Scope: Mention. Alonzo A. Hopkins. The Powers Fire-Proof Commercial and Fine Art Buildings. Rochester, NY: E. R. Andrews, Publisher, 1883.
- C.C. Merriman. A Catalogue of the Paintings in the Art Gallery of D. W. Powers, Rochester, N.Y.. Rochester, NY: E.R. Andrews, 1877.
- Article Scope: Reproduction only. The Photographic Souvenir of the Centennial Exhibition: Containing Twenty Elegant Views of the Statuary. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1877.
- Article Title: A Rare Acquisition for Rochester. Article Scope: Article. Rochester Union and Advertiser. Rochester, NY Issue Date: 12/12/1876. Page Number: 2
- Article Scope: Entry. C.C. Merriman. A Catalogue of the Paintings in the Art Gallery of D.W. Powers, Rochester, N.Y.. Rochester, NY: E.R. Andrews, 1877.
- Article Scope: Exhibition Checklist. United States. Centennial Commission. Official catalogue. Part II. Art gallery, annexes, and out-door works of art. Department IV - Art.. Philadelphia, PA: John R. Nagle and Company, 1876.
Portfolio List
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This object is a member of the following portfolios: