TARSIA, Antonio

(b. ~1662 Venezia, d. 1739 Venezia)

Italian sculptor. He was one of the most active Venetian sculptors at the beginning of the 18th century and must have been well known by 1705, the first year from which documentation relating to him survives, since he was entrusted with important figures for the Valier mausoleum (c. 1705; Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice). For this he sculpted the figure of Doge Silvestro Valier, an allegory of Richness and a relief representing Peace. These works show the influence of Filippo Parodi’s dynamism, combined with classical accents that link him with Pietro Baratta (who also worked on the Valier mausoleum) and with Giuseppe Torretti.

In 1721 he was commissioned to execute a series of 12 putti for the park of the Villa Giovanelli at Noventa Padovana and later (c. 1730) he sculpted the figures of Smell and Taste for the main staircase of the same villa. Further decorative figures for garden settings attributed to him are located at the entrance gates of the Villa Contarini at Piazzola (Padua), at Stra in the park of the Villa Pisani (e.g. figures of Hercules and Astronomy) and, in Russia, in St Petersburg (in the Summer Garden) and Tsarskoye Selo.

He was commissioned by Almor Pisani in 1728 for the marble relief of the Annunciation, flanked by St Dominic and St Rosa, for the altar of the Rosary in the church of San Vitale in Venice. The simple but fluent composition and the clear yet lively contours of the figures make this one of his most typical works. Numerous religious works are attributed to him, for example the marble figures of SS Peter and Paul for the high altar of Loréo Cathedral. Two reclining marble figures of Thetis and Bacchus (both signed) are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the bozzetto for Thetis also survives (Museum of Art, San Francisco).

Charity

Tarsia sculpted Charity and Penance on the two pilaster bases of the high altar in the church of San Stae. Charity is barely raised from the background but stands out with a fluent rhythm that gives the whole image a measured elegance.

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Monument to the Valier Family

The Valier funeral monument was erected for the Doge Bertuccio Valier (1656-58), his wife Elisabetta Querini Valier (d. 1709), and their son Doge Silvestro Valier (1694-1700). Architect Andrea Tirali was aided in the decoration by a number of artists, three of whom can be clearly identified since they signed their work: Giovanni Bonazza, Antonio Tarsia, and Pietro Baratta, three of the best-known sculptors of their day.

The Valier monument was ambitious. Its debt to Longhena’s mausoleum for Doge Giovanni Pesaro is combined with references to the Morosini monument by Filippo Parodi. The drama of the monument comes from the drapery which forms the backdrop against which the three figures of the doge’s family stand: Bertuccio Valier is in the middle between his wife and their son.

Bonazza’s contribution to the monument is the group of Virtue Crowning Merit, placed in the centre of the two arches, and the relief of Time on one of the marble sections of the base. This group, showing clearly the influence of Parodi, is flanked by the pendant statues Liberality by Antonio Tarsia and Wisdom by Pietro Baratta. Both derive from Josse De Corte’s earlier models. Similarly, Peace and Charity are signed by Tarsia and Baratta. The work of both artists stands out for its high quality.

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