Forging Authenticity: Giovanni Bastianini and the Neo-Renaissance in Nineteenth-Century Florence

Giovanni Bastianini (1830-1868) was a Florentine sculptor whose creations answered to the growing demand for Renaissance and Renaissance-like works of art during the second half of the 19th century. Arguably the most infamous and gifted imitator/faker of Italian Renaissance sculpture, he became a subject of great controversy during his lifetime that continues to this day. This book examines Bastianini’s total oeuvre, exploring the differences between his pseudo-Renaissance and his contemporary “period’ style. At the same time, it places him firmly within the economic, political and cultural context that encouraged the production of neo-Renaissance art, which found a ready market in both Europe and the New World. The book will be of great interest not only to scholars of Italian Renaissance and nineteenth-century sculpture attempting to sort out the authentic from works of questionable attribution, but also to those engaged in the history of taste and the conditions surrounding the Risorgimento that promoted the creation and acquisition of Renaissance art and artifacts in both Europe and the New World during the latter part of the nineteenth century.