Jerónimo Suñol

JERÓNIMO SUÑOL Y PUJOL (Barcelona, 1839-Madrid, 1902).
"Female bust", ca. 1870.
Bronze.
Signed "G. Suñol" (coincides with the signature engraved on the bronzes of the sculptor preserved in the MNAC).
Founder's mark: Masriera y Campins, Barcelona.
Marble base.
Measurements: 44 x 39,5 x 42 cm (sculpture); 56 cm (height with pedestal).

Female bust in bronze, signed by the Barcelona sculptor Jerónimo Suñol, an outstanding exponent of the expansion and productive potential reached by Catalan sculptors in the second half of the 19th century.

His style can be ascribed to ochocentista realism, although as we observe in this bust, he idealizes the faces by calming the expression, impregnating the features with a bittersweet melancholy that embellishes them. Likewise, he captures with precision the physiognomic details, the smoothness of the skin and the hair gracefully gathered in a curly bun. In this way, Suñol combines a verism of classical roots with a romantic touch.

Of humble origins, Jerónimo Suñol was trained at the Escuela de la Lonja in Barcelona, complementing his studies in the workshop of a sculptor named Passavell and, above all, in the workshop of the brothers Venancio and Agapito Vallmitjana. In 1858 he obtained a scholarship to study in Rome, where he met his future wife, Adela Rossi Orsini, with whom he had two daughters. During his Italian stay, he coincided with the war for the Italian Unification and was on the verge of being shot when he was mistaken for a Garibaldian. There he established contact with Mariano Fortuny and his circle of friends. It was at this time that he created the sculpture "Dante", one of his best known works, with which he won a silver medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1864. One of the versions of Dante is in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia where other works of his are kept (female bust, learning as a sculptor) and also the portrait of him painted by Fortuny. The original plaster and another version of Dante in bronze can also be found in the Prado Museum. Another outstanding work by Suñol is "Hymen", with which he won a medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1866. Returning from Rome, he settled in Barcelona (1875) and later in Madrid, where he ended up residing and where he gained recognition. He dedicated himself to public statuary and religious sculpture, and also received numerous private commissions for the decoration of palaces. From 1882 he was a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando.