“civis, celeberrimi, sculptoris egregii, patrie decus et honor”
The real truth regarding the life of the Andrea Brustolon, one of the most original Venetian sculptors and engravers, is still a matter of discussion among critics, in fact this discussion has become more interesting of late, due to recent documentaries and research. However none of this documentation has brought to light nor cleared up definitely, certain aspects regarding the artist's biography, which until today have been based on a ‘800s reconstruction gained from his followers.
He was the eldest of five children borne to Giacomo Brustolon and Maria Auregne. He was born on the 20th July 1662 in a building constructed during the ‘400s period, which has recently been restored and can still be admired today in the centre of Belluno above a small portico along the road that leads to S. Pietro's Church. According to the traditional version, Andrea's father was a wood engraver. This was a widespread profession in that period, therefore one can only imagine that Andrea grasped the first rudimentary notions of this art in his father's work shop and proved to be, right from the start extremely gifted.
This gift and his extraordinary qualities were noted by his father Giacomo and also by a remarkable painter of that period, Agostino Ridolfi who, as biographies have now demonstrated, was Andrea's uncle. Both men encouraged the young Andrea Brustolon to extend and further his studies. It can be stated without a doubt that Andrea did a Venetian apprentiship, this is proven by the use of a more stylistic form of language which the artist gained during the ‘700 – ‘800s, a linguistic style that could not be traced in any way to Belluno, which at that time had its own linguistic style which was not as modern as the Venetian one.
At the age of fifteen, in 1667, it seems that Brustolon was sent to Venice as a guest of Antonio Buzzati, whom, in a letter to Andrea's father wrote. “Most honourable Messer. Giacomo Brustolon, I am writing to you Sir to give you news regarding your son Andrea, whom, as you requested I have positioned to work in the work shop of Maestro Filippo Parodi. I am most pleased to inform you that your son is well and awaiting the spring so that he may travel to Rome. He has already prepared some models of a statue for the Maestro and the Maestro has complimented him on them.” Even though there are diverging opinions about the authenticity of this document, critics are of the same opinion in finding a undisputable influence of Parodi in Brustolon's work. Parodi was an famous artist from Genoa. In 1678 he was commissioned by the Serenissima to erect a sepulchre monument within the Tolentini Church for the patriarch Giovanni Francesco Morosini. It was during the preparation of this work that Brustolon learnt about composing charts and formal designs, how to use graphical drawings as study preparation, specific techniques and the preparation of materials.
Maestro Parodi was often commissioned to carry out prestigious works, thus allowing Brustolon to admire and learn from these works, especially those carried out in the Santa Giustina Church in Padua and in the Basilica of Saint Anthony, also situated in Padua. Brustolon can also be given credit for introducing to the Venetian area a sort of Berniniano style, which he acquired during his stay in Rome. A style which contains the typical, picturesque sensibility of the Liguria area. Even though Brustolon came into contact with a Baroque influence during his Venetian apprentice period, it was however a period of stay in Rome and his direct studies of antiquities, which permitted him to widen his knowledge and enhance his already proven skills.
There exists no definite documentation regarding his journey or stay in Rome, nor the dates nor the people he met – however it may be presumed that this journey took place more or less around 1680. This presumption comes from the observation of some of his drawings from that period like: the Farnese Bull, the Lacoonte marble and the Bust of a Roman character – thus by attentively observing these drawings one has the insight and feeling that the artist's approach towards these drawings could only have taken place by directly observing the object and sketching free hand.
Throughout his classical influence combined with a Baroque inspiration, Brustolon has created a kind of link among all his works which leads to what is considered the artist's first real bond with his land: the Mark Aurelio of the Correr Museum dating back to the early ‘800s. However the first documented work by Brustolon remains the Souls' Altar in Pieve di Zoldo, which was commissioned to Brustolon at the age of twenty-three and is acknowledged in a signed contract dated 1685. Brustolon was already capable of demonstrating “inventive freedom, abundance of decorative and ornamental figures, amazing ability for working finesse and adept technical skills.”
After his stay in Rome, Andrea returned to the Venetian lagoon where his genius was soon recognized and appreciated. In fact, the Patrizia dei Venier family from San Vio commissioned the furnishings for the rooms of their villa including nine allegory symbols for rooms plus matching chairs. Brustolon continued producing and working for this family for ten years in what was later denominated by his work shop as the Venier supplies.
Other families were of course impressed by the work Brustolon had completed for the Venier family and soon other branches of the Patrizia clan in the Venetian area commissioned works. One of the more significant commissioned works was that for the Pisani family, who requested twelve chairs in boxwood to represent the twelve months of the year for their county villa in Strà. These chairs are now to be found in the State parliamentary buildings of the Quirinale, in Rome.
In 1695 the artist returned to his home town and took up permanent residency. It is considered that Brustolon's decision to return to home was based on the necessity to continue his father's work shop. However recent research has proved this theory dubious.
In 1696 Brustolon created the spectacular burial vault for Saint Teodora, whose remains were preserved in the Churdh of Saint Pietro in Feltre. During the same period he also made a Tabernacle for the Church of Canale d'Agordo which, after attentive analysis proves that Andrea was fully responsible for the more intricate and arduous sections of his works of art, whereas the more simple works were left to the workers in his work shop.
In 1699 he concluded the Cross Altar for the Saint Valentine Church in the town of Mareson in Zoldo, in which Brustolon applied a more classical style, thus less Baroque and impetuous in comparison to the Souls'Altar in Pieve di Zoldo. In his atelier during this time, Andrea also elaborated a lot of other commissioned works like: painting frames, religious crosses, larger sculptures as the one depicting Christ's torment as he walked burdened by his wooden cross which can be found in the parish Church of Farra d'Alpago.
At the start of the ‘700 the artist began, a huge sculpture which represented The Virgin Mary's Assumption to Heaven and thus began a new style and period: a personalized masterpiece created using a pyramid composition that managed to amalgamate reality and illusion in perfect equilibrium. Later the artist created the Tabernacle for the Parish of Cortina which has always been the centre of debates regarding the actual date it was made, and now thanks to meticulous restoration on the Tabernacle, researcher have proven that the Tabernacle was made in about 1700. Around 1711, Brustolon produced two large lamp holders in the form of two enormous angels for the sacristy of the Church of the Frari in Venice. Whereas, in 1722 Brustolon began works on the commissioned project for six statues called the “Symbol Pillars – Allegorie Piloni” named so after the Count who commissioned the works, Count Tiopi Piloni. Over the next decades, Brustolon continued to work for the noble families Piloni and Miari, without in any way renouncing his work for the Clergy: in fact some of his pieces are dated 1725 like the two candle holders for the Church of Santo Stefano – a precious example of exquisite religious handicrafts. In 1731 he received the request to create the Altar for the Church of Saint Valentine in the town of Mareson in Zoldo – this work was carried out under Brustolon's supervision, however the actual work was done by members of his work shop. Therefore, researchers consider Brustolon's final work of art to be an insignia commissioned in 1730 by the Bishop Giacomo Zuanelli.
The artist died at his home in Belluno on 25th October 1732 and was then buried in the Saint Pietro's Church in Belluno. Seventy years later, one of his great masterpieces “The Crucification” which Brustolon had created for Saint Ignazio's Church, was afterwards positioned above his tomb stone.
