Original scientific paper

Federik Glavić Family Tomb at Boninovo

Patricija Veramenta

Abstract

The tomb of the family of Federiko Glavić stands at the very entrance to the Boninovo cemetery. The latter originates from the middle of the nineteenth century, situated on the grounds once belonging to the summer residence of the Altesti family, which, like many others, was plundered and burnt during the Montenegrin siege of the Dubrovnik Republic in 1806. The space of the new cemetery followed no architectural plan or design, and it developed to suit the convenience. The oldest preserved grave to date is that of the Radmilli family from 1868. The remains of the former summer residence were adapted in 1883 into a cemetery chapel—the Church of the Holy Cross. In a row of finely shaped tombs, that of the family of Federiko Glavić distinguishes itself not only by design and craftsmanship but also by its dominating position. Originally from the island of Šipan, Federiko Glavić (1847-1941) made a fortune in Peru and Chile, and in 1896 returned to Dubrovnik, where he established himself in shipping, trade and hotel business. Apparently, he was by far the wealthiest and most influential person in Dubrovnik of his day. His only child, daughter Marija, born in Iquique in 1885, died tragically in 1904, at the age of nineteen. The tomb monument represents a figure of a young woman half-seated on the bed, her arm reaching out towards an angel at the bottom of her bed. With a cross in one hand, the angel takes the girl’s hand and blesses her with the other. The whole monument is made of light-toned marble, styled in realistic manner with certain symbolic additions. Many elements from this tomb, characteristic of the second half of the nineteenth century, may be found on various tomb monuments at the Staglieno cemetery in Genoa. The author of the monumental sculpture which adorns the Federiko Glavić family tomb is a minor Genoese sculptor Achille Canessa (1856-1905), though with an impressive opus. Since Canessa’s death followed that of Marija Glavić in less than a year, it was too short a period to commission an author, sign contract, submit a design draft, acquire expensive high-quality marble and carve the monument. Thus there is reason to assume that Achille Canessa is the author of the monument design, but the rest was done by his workshop, after his death.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

85362

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/85362

Publication date:

10.7.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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