Bust of Niccolo da Uzzano

• Reference:GB 1694 GST/2
• Dates of Creation:Late 19th century-early 20th century
• Name of Creator:
  D Brucciani & Co
• Physical Description:
  1 item

• Scope and Content

  Plaster bust after a terracotta bust of Niccolo da Abruzzo in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, believed to be by Donatello.

• Administrative / Biographical History

  Domenicho (Domenico) Brucciani (1815-1880) was born in Lucca, Italy and migrated to England in the first half of the nineteenth century. He established a business which produced casts of sculptural works from international collections. By 1837 he owned a showroom near Covent Garden and was selling works to the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). By 1857 D. Brucciani & Co. were working for the British Museum, making moulds and casts of their classical sculptures, bronzes and other pieces, to be sold commercially. The company was successful during Brucciani's lifetime as it capitalised on the nineteenth century fashion to have plaster casts of sculptural works in the home. Following his death his business was purchased by another Italian, Joseph Caproni (1846 - 1900), who retained the name D. Brucciani & Co., and the business continued to manufacture casts, with customers including the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum of Classical Archaeology. However, as demand for plaster casts declined in the twentieth century, the business failed. Consequently, it was purchased by the V&A and operated as the Department for the Sale of Casts until 1951 when it was forced to closed due to financial losses.

• Note

  Domenicho (Domenico) Brucciani (1815-1880) was born in Lucca, Italy and migrated to England in the first half of the nineteenth century. He established a business which produced casts of sculptural works from international collections. By 1837 he owned a showroom near Covent Garden and was selling works to the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum). By 1857 D. Brucciani & Co. were working for the British Museum, making moulds and casts of their classical sculptures, bronzes and other pieces, to be sold commercially. The company was successful during Brucciani's lifetime as it capitalised on the nineteenth century fashion to have plaster casts of sculptural works in the home. Following his death his business was purchased by another Italian, Joseph Caproni (1846 - 1900), who retained the name D. Brucciani & Co., and the business continued to manufacture casts, with customers including the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum of Classical Archaeology. However, as demand for plaster casts declined in the twentieth century, the business failed. Consequently, it was purchased by the V&A and operated as the Department for the Sale of Casts until 1951 when it was forced to closed due to financial losses.

• Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

  The back of the base includes a partially obscured inscription of "D. Brucciani & Co London". Several layers of white paint and a top coat of shellac, though large areas of loss reveal a greyed plaster surface.
  
  Dimensions: 465 x 210 x 230 mm

• Custodial History

  Photographed in June 2016 as part of GSA MSc International Heritage Visualisation project

• Related Material

  GSAA/P/4: "Sculpture Student Work vi"

• Additional Information

  Published

• Subjects

  Sculpture

  Portraits

  Teaching materials

  Casts (sculpture)