Giovanni Bastianini (1830-1868) was a Florentine sculptor whose creationsanswered to the growing demand for Renaissance and Renaissance-like works ofart during the second half of the 19th century. Arguably the most infamous andgifted imitator/faker of Italian Renaissance sculpture, he became a subject of greatcontroversy during his lifetime that continues to this day.This book examines Bastianini¿s total oeuvre, exploring the differencesbetween his pseudo-Renaissance and his contemporary ¿period¿ style. At the sametime, it places him firmly within the economic, political and cultural context thatencouraged the production of neo-Renaissance art, which found a ready marketin both Europe and the New World. The book will be of great interest not only toscholars of Italian Renaissance and nineteenth-century sculpture attempting tosort out the authentic from works of questionable attribution, but also to thoseengaged in the history of taste and the conditions surrounding the Risorgimentothat promoted the creation and acquisition of Renaissance art and artifacts in bothEurope and the New World during the latter part of the nineteenth century.
