Donato Creti (Cremona, 1671 - Bologna, 1749)
River God, 1715/1721 ca.
oil on canvas; inv. P 29
provenance: Bequest of Marcantonio Collina Sbaraglia to the Senate, 1744
This is the first of a group of 8 overdoor paintings (no. 1 - 3 - 6 - 8
- 11 - 14 - 17 - 22).
Together with the Girl Meditating (no. 6) this is one of the best
preserved overdoors. It follows the traditional river god iconography:
a reclining bearded man, leaning upon an urn, with his head swathed in
marsh grass and his hand grasping an oar. The same figure recurs, with
little variation, in Achilles Plunged into the Styx (no. 2).
These monochrome figures show Creti’s interest in sculpture.
It is documented that he worked, together with his friend, the
Bolognese sculptor Giuseppe Mazza (Bologna, 1653 - 1741), to create the
memorial dedicated to Girolamo Sbaraglia (1641 - 1710), an accomplished
anatomist and member of the University of Bologna.
The monument is visible on the upper floor of the inner courtyard of
the Archiginnasio, one of Bologna's Public Libraries.
