Original scientific paper
Vatroslav Donegani, Construction Manager and Sculptor of the Đakovo Cathedral
Dragan Damjanović
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
This paper deals with the work by the Croatian sculptor Vatroslav Donegani during the construction and fitting-out of the Đakovo cathedral. Its focus is first of all on Donegani’s accomplishments in the cathedral but it also deals with the remaining sculptor’s work in Slavonia.
Longer summary:
Apart from Ivan Rendić, Vatroslav Donegani was surely the most significant Croatian sculptor in the period from the 60s until the beginning of the 90s of the 19th century. He was born in Rijeka and educated at the Academy in Venice during the 50s of the 19th century where he gained his specific sculpture approach somewhere between classicism, Romanticism and realism that he would retain his whole life. Due to participation in competition entry for the equestrian statue of the Vice-Roy Jelačić in Zagreb, which he failed, his work was introduced to the Đakovo bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who duly became his patron. He supported him to resume his study in Rome during the 60s, he ordered his bust from him and in 1867 Donegani was in Đakovo where he became a supervisor during the construction of the cathedral and he also became the main sculptor. He began with sculptures’ workmanship for the cathedral not before 1875 which disappointed Strossmayer immensely and he considered him lazy. Donegani first made a relief of Jesus the Savior for a gable above the main portal and afterwards in the second half of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s of the 19th century the sculptures on all altars in the cathedral except the St. Elias altar which was entrusted to the Austrian sculptor Georg Feuerstein. Donegani also made all sculptures on the cathedral’s pulpit where he, apart from the images of particular saints, designed several reliefs of Jesus cycle that were for that matter his only figured compositions in this church. Out of all sculpures in the cathedral, the sculptures of the Saints Cyril and Methodius stand out remarkably on the eponymous altar. Since he had to follow the stylish approach of the renaissance masters Ghiberti, lucca della Robbi and Donatello by the Strossmayer’s orders during his work on the majority of sculptures, there are certain influences of the above mentioned artists in his work although we cannot speak of virtual imitation. Donegani was not particularly skilful at composition workmanship so he failed, apart from the above-mentioned relatively simple reliefs on pulpit, to finish cathedral portal lunettes that were also entrusted to him. Thus in 1884 Strossmayer dismissed Donegani from the service and the lunette work was yielded to his former fellow-worker the Czech sculptor and stone-mason Tomi Wodički who would complete most of the work, apart from the Christ resurrection relief in the main portal lunette that would be completed by the Slovene sculptor Alojzij Gangl. Staying in Đakovo until his death in 1899, Donegani did not seem to work very hard. Apart from cathedral, one of his most important achievements is the Holy Trinity sculpture for the church in Sotin in 1876, an altar in nearby Mikanovci by the beginning of the 80s. From his late period activity, the most significant work was the restoration of the Đakovo parish church St. George in 1885.
Keywords
Vatroslav Donegani; Josip Juraj Strossmayer; the Đakovo cathedral; historicism; sculpture
Hrčak ID:
33982
URI
Publication date:
20.2.2009.
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