CARRADORI, Francesco - b. 1747 Pistoia, d. 1824 Firenze

Francesco Carradori was an Italian sculptor, restorer, and instructor of sculpture at the Accademia in Florence from 1786 to 1821. His training made him a significant representative of the rather difficult passage of the Florentine plastic arts in the Neoclassical direction. His instructions for students of sculpture, published in 1802, are vital to understanding the art and craft of sculpting as they were practiced before the twentieth century. This book is the most comprehensive and instructive and includes thirteen articles that explain how to restore marble sculpture, model clay, work with stucco and wax, cast and finish bronze, and carve and enlarge models into marble and stone, as well as seventeen plates that illustrate the arrangement, methods, and tools used in each of these processes.

Cauno and Bibil

This small composition, with its companion piece Bacchus and Arianna, is reminiscent of the woodland lovers of the classical tradition. It is a fine example of the by now Neoclassical virtuosity of this sculptor. The two small groups were executed for the renovated palace of Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine (1747-1792), the new grand duke regent between 1765 and 1790.