Italian Treasures from the Calabria Region

By Terri Hirsch The Italian Treasures from the Calabria Region is being hosted by the Morgan Library & Museum at 225 Madison Avenue, New York City, November 12 through November 16, 2008 (extended until December 7, 2008). On view for the first time in the United States, this exhibition featured a collection of archaeological finds from the Calabria region, including the world-famous Bronzes of Riace. The Bronzes of Riace are two examples of Greek bronze sculpture. Experts argue that these statutes were thrown overboard to prevent a shipwreck while sailing to Calabria. They were found in 1972 near the shores of Reggio Calabria. Calabria is in the southernmost part of the Italian peninsula. On display in the Gilbert Court of the Morgan Library and Museum were five masterpieces of Greek-Roman art from the National Archaeological Museum in Reggio Calabria. The objects represent two major periods: the region’s era as a Greek colony (450-530 B.C.) and the Baroque era (seventeenth through eighteenth centuries), when Calabria was an integral part of the Kingdom of Naples. Two Bronze Pieces: The Bronze Head from Basel (15th Century): A male head with hair styled into curly ringlets, tied up with a tight band. It has a short but full beard, grated onto a neck with a diagonal cut and empty eyes in a larger than life size. The nose was fractured at the nostril and deformed by the hammer blows which incurred when detaching the head from the body. The Bronze Head, whose features suggest a god or king, was first exhibited in Italy in 1996. The Bronze Mirror with Handle in the Form of an Offering Athlete (approximately 450 B.C.): This naked athlete is standing on a thin square base with his right leg outstretched and his right hand palm open. He has short hair like a skullcap puffed up around his face and almond shaped eyes which are very distinguishable. The athletes’ head is holding a Bronze Mirror. Baroque silverworks on display in the Rotunda of the McKim building are on loan from the churches owned by the Fondo Edifici per il Culto. These works include a pair of chalices, a pair of monstrances and one reliquary in the form of a monstrance. The Chalice Lamezia Terme (end of seventeenth century, beginning of eighteenth century) is decorated with eleven small sculptures including St. Francis of Assisi, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Bonaventure. They were represented with three angels between them, each holding a lily, an open book and a coat of arms. It was difficult to recognize the majority of the other figures featured on the stem and underside of the cup, except that they were members of the Franciscan order. The presentation was organized by the Italian Trade Commission and the Government of the Calabria region, under the auspices of the Italian Ministry for Economic developments in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of New York.