Giugliemo Pugi

GIUGLIEMO PUGI (Fiesole, 1850-1915),
"The abduction of the sabines".
Marble.
Presents faults and restorations.
Signed.
Measurements: 46 x 14 x 18 cm.
The sculptural group placed on a simple base is composed by two masculine figures and a feminine one, on the top, following a marked "serpentinata" line, usual in certain works of the Italian Renaissance. It shows the episode of classical mythology in which the Sabine women are abducted by the founders of the city of Rome during a banquet organized by Romulus; later, the legendary Sabine king Titus Tatius declared war on Rome, but the same women, already married and with children, intervened to prevent the massacre, desisting all fights and achieving peace and partnership between the two peoples. The present work is inspired by a work by Giambologna, made in 1589 for the ducal collection of La Loggia in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, and which was transferred in 2008 to the Galleria dell'Accademia (taking the place of the original a copy). However, it is possible to appreciate a series of changes in both sculptures, which have been made in this sculpture to bring it more in line with the tastes of the Neoclassicism of the nineteenth century.
Guglielmo Pugi was an Italian sculptor whose workshop was in Florence. He and his sons, Gino and Fiorenzo, operated as Guglielmo Pugi and Sons, and the sons were later known as Fratelli G. and F. Pugi. Guglielmo Pugi's work, typical of Art Nouveau, is characterized by direct carving on alabaster and Carrara marble (mostly white or veined). As a company they were present at the 1901 Universal Exposition in Buffalo and exhibited at the Palace of Manufactures at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Some of their sculptures are still in Buffalo parks.