Modenantiquaria's best work: small monument to Francesco III d'Este awarded

The Modenantiquaria Cremonini Prize was awarded last night for the first time: the award, introduced this year, honors the work of art deemed the most significant at the Modena antiques exhibition, now in its 38th year (it can be visited until Feb. 16). The prize went to the small equestrian monument to Francesco III d’Este by Francesco Antonio Panzetta Cassarini (Carrara, 1719 - 1797) of Carrara, presented by Altomani & Sons and accompanied by a biographical note by art historian Andrea Fusani. The ceremony was held at the Galleria Estense in Modena. The prize was awarded by the scientific committee of Modenantiquaria, composed of Andrea Bacchi, Andrea De Marchi, Michele Danieli, Carlo Falciani, Aldo Galli, Fernando Mazzocca, Alessandro Morandotti, Gianni Papi, Lucia Peruzzi and Yuri Primarosa.

The small monument thus recognized as the best work of Modenantiquaria is a youthful work by Panzetta Cassarini and bears the author’s signature on the base: the work, according to Fusani, “is part of a broader operation aimed at celebrating the figure of the duke, in the first decades of the union, dynastic and administrative, between the duchy of Modena and Reggio and the states of Massa and Carrara.” As a result of the marriage between Maria Teresa Cybo, duchess of Massa and princess of Carrara, and Ercole Rinaldo d’Este, son of Francesco III duke of Modena, a Council of Regency had been established in Massa in 1741, which had an Este minister appointed by Modena: as a result, relations between Modena and the small Apuan duchy had intensified considerably.

The work, despite its small size, is not a sketch, despite having been thought to be one in the past: “it appears to be defined,” Fusani explains, “with exquisite elegance, down to the smallest details, certainly suggesting the possibility of its execution in larger proportions, but carrying within itself the character of an autonomous artifact, evidence of the hopes placed by the people of Carrara in the advent of the new government and of the unquestionable skills of the young Francesco Antonio. The evident technical mastery is combined with a modern and fresh taste, in the updating of a model that refers to François Girardon’s Louis XIV, and anticipates what was carried out later, on a monumental scale, with the erection of the equestrian statue of Francis III of Cybei in Modena.” Cybei’s statue was made in 1774 but lasted very little, as it was destroyed in 1796. Panzetta Cassarini’s small monument was presumably appreciated, because the author was able to call himself, on several occasions and in official documents, “Ducal Sculptor” or “Sculptor of His Serene Highness.”

Panzetta Cassarini was a nephew of Bartolomeo Panzetta, himself a sculptor (Fusani’s research has made it possible to ascertain that “Panzetta” was the artist’s paternal surname and not, as was believed, a nickname): with his paternal uncle, young Francesco Antonio completed his training. He taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara since its founding in 1769, moreover with a double professorship (a unique case: he taught both sculpture and architecture) and was best known for his skills in ornamentation.

Modenantiquaria's best work: small monument to Francesco III d'Este awarded

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