CORNACCHINI, Agostino
(b. 1683, Pescia, d. 1754, Roma)

Hope

1725-26
Marble
San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome

The figure of Hope at the entrance of the chapel of Monte di Pietà is a masterpiece of Cornacchini. He is certainly an interpreter of Rococo who cannot be disregarded, if only for the importance of the work he had the opportunity to carry out. However, Hope already shows the limits of his art. While it is true that the figure is well-constructed and the two cherubs have all the softness of children (revealing considerable technical ability), it is equally true that incongruous solutions are present, such as the pedestal supporting the standing child behind the female figure and the hem of the skirt with which the woman tries to cover the other cherub. The taut and straight cloth splits the image awkwardly. The lowest point is the expression on the face of the woman, whose nose, while Greek, is too wide and imposing. Similarly, her mouth is gathered in a sort of smile that does not manage to be either benevolent or reassuring.