Monsignor Antonio Cerri

Alessandro Algardi 1598 - 1654

Summary

Meticulously detailed and highly realistic bust of an elderly man, with his head turned and lowered slightly to the left, carved in white marble. He has a thin face and variations in the tension of his skin are executed with great subtlety, with it taut across the cheekbones, causing them to become more pronounced, and loosely wrinkled around the eyes. His hair is short and tidy as is his groomed moustache and beard. He wears a high collared robe that fastens around the neck and is slightly open at the front to reveal the fine carving of lace and a tassel; at the tops of the sleeves are splits in the smooth, upper layer of cloth to expose an under-layer full of fine creases and pleats. The squared socle of the bust is of a spreading form and carries the emblem of the Cerri family - an oak tree with its roots exposed.

Display Label

Room 2: Cold Cases This room showcases a changing selection of 10-15 sculptures under investigation. These are artworks about which we have little information, are in poor condition or have been off display for a long time and would benefit from new research. The aim is to open up this research process more publicly and consider how a public gallery and its users can care for and use collections. Each object has a case file that includes the object record from our database and copies of any archival material in the artist’s file with new material to be added as research develops. A research board for each object will raise questions and lines of enquiry and be a space where new information can be shared. Artists’ files are normally only accessible by appointment – this time we are crowd-sourcing information. By filling in the gaps in our knowledge, we can all better understand these works of art. At the start of this room are three sculptures by Algardi, Cassidy and Hepworth which are well documented, researched and regularly exhibited, so have been considered ‘collection highlights’. Other works we know little about.