« This action is part of a campaign to preserve local heritage initiated by the Foundation for the Safeguarding of French Art in 2013 explains Philippe Peretti, deputy mayor of Bastia, delegate for heritage and sponsorship. ” Through this initiative, 149 works have already been restored and one of the three works presented this year at regional level will be able to benefit from support of 8000 euros for its restoration. “. These 8000 € are offered by Allianz France.
Three projects are presented in Corsica.
The statue of Napoleon in Ajaccio
Directed by F.-M. Plowman in Rome before 1806 with the support of François Cacault, Minister of France in Rome, this work presents Napoleon in the habit of a Roman consul, dressed in a toga, the aegis of Pallas whose head of Medusa has been replaced by the sun on the chest. F. Cacault will influence the artist notably in the choice of attributes: treaty of the concordat in the left hand, and round cassette with the various treaties at his feet. In the right hand, the consul holds a tiller which rests on a globe. Between its realization and its installation on the fountain, this statue will be acquired by Cardinal Fesch who keeps it in Paris. On the death of the Cardinal (May 13, 1839), it will be deposited with Madame de la Villette who respects the will and hands it over to the city of Ajaccio. The statue was inaugurated in Ajaccio on May 5, 1850: it was placed in the middle of Place Foch opposite the town hall on a 90 cm high plinth, in place of the tree of liberty which would be moved. Today, the work presents some alterations.
The donation of the rosary in Bastia
The donation of the rosary is a monumental canvas (242 x 185 cm) dated between 1590 and 1610, preserved in the cathedral church of Sainte-Marie, in a chapel dedicated to him. It is attributed to an anonymous local painter whose works can be found in the cathedral of Ajaccio and the church of San’Antonino. The representation of the donation of the rosary occupies the central part of the canvas. The Virgin and Child is represented there on clouds in the center of the painting, dressed in a red tunic and covered with a blue cloak. Mary and the Child Jesus are flanked respectively by Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Dominic towards whom they bow while entrusting them with a rosary. Two angels dressed in red tunics crown Mary. The main interest lies in the pattern located under the clouds. We discover donors in prayer, separated into two groups on either side of what seems to be a representation of Bastia. Adults and children are dressed according to the Spanish model: large black dresses in Genoa velvet, sometimes brightened up for women with colored skirts adorned with a ruff at the collar in lingerie. A figure stands out, covered with a long red cloak edged with gold braid. This is Monsignor Geronimo Del Pozzo, recognizable by his red hair and his miter placed in the foreground and under whose episcopate the Cathedral was built. The work, listed in 1970, is cemented to the wall of the chapel, which does not allow it to be guaranteed optimal conservation conditions. The canvas must be re-tensioned. The pictorial layer is dark but a priori in a good state of conservation. The original frame is preserved, dismantled, in the house of works at the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church.
The weather vane of the bell tower of Sainte Marie
At the beginning of the 18th century, a total restoration of the church tower was necessary. A request was then presented to the Magnifico Consiglio of the city of Bastia. The council then allocates the sum of 400 liras to restore the bell tower which was struck by lightning in 1689. The council also provides for an iron pole with a weather vane in the shape of an angel. The latter was actually installed in 1705. This weather vane proudly sat on its bell tower until the 1970s. Struck again by lightning, the cherub was then removed and a pointless cross replaced it. The objective is therefore to restore the 1705 weather vane to an identical one.
How to vote?
Anyone can vote, all you have to do is click here and select the regional work you would like to see restored.
For the time being, the Statue of Napoleon is the most popular by votes, followed by the Donation of the Rosary (2th) and the Weathervane (3th).
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