Odoni & Antiquity
Andrea Odoni owned an impressive collection of antique and all'antica sculpture, and its prominent display in his home ensured that visitors would not fail to notice his enthusiasm for antiquity. While some of these sculptures were authentic antiques, many were modern imitations, and this interest in modern statuary set Odoni apart from other Venetian collectors of his time.
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"Now that I am here, I am in Venice and in Rome."
Pietro Aretino, Letter to Andrea Odoni, 30th August 1538
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The Antiquarium
In a letter to Odoni written in 1538, Aretino remarks that upon visiting Odoni's home he feels as if he is 'in Venice and in Rome'. Behind the façade of his home, Odoni created a haven dedicated to classical art, where he kept his collection of ancient and all'antica sculpture. This was known as the antigaia or 'antiquarium'. It was this space that transported Aretino in his mind to the courtyards filled with classical statues that he had seen while living in Rome. Odoni's antigaia functioned as an entrance hall, and would have been the first and last space guests would pass through when visiting the Odoni casa. It was therefore undoubtedly designed to leave a lasting impression, reminding guests of the same avid interest in antiquity that Odoni displays in his portrait.
Maerten van Heemskerck, Sculpture Court of the Casa Sassi in Rome (1532-37), pen and brown ink with brown wash. Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
Odoni's antigaia was populated with colossal marble heads, headless and handless marble figures and life-size busts, and various broken pieces of statuary scattered around, which brings to mind the smaller statues arranged casually around Odoni in his Lotto portrait. The inventory of Andrea's brother, Alvise, describes 'reliefs, and little busts' displayed around the stringcourse of the entrance hall. We can see a similar arrangement in the above drawing by Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), a Dutch artist who spent time working in Italy in the late sixteenth century, and produced this image of the courtyard of the Casa Sassi in Rome. Van Heemskerck's drawing shares many of the features of Odoni's courtyard, and provides a visual aid for imagining how the space came together.
Antonio Minello, Grieving Heroine (1520s), marble. New York, private collection.
A Modern Collector
At the time Odoni was collecting, ancient statuary was more expensive and less accessible than modern copies. While some of the statues in Odoni's courtyard were antique, many were produced by sculptors working in Venice at the time, including Antonio Minello (c. 1465–1529). Like all of the sculptures in the Odoni collection listed by Michiel, the whereabouts of Minello's marble busts of Cybele and Hercules are unknown. While it did not belong to Odoni, this Grieving Heroine, which Minello produced in the 1520s, provides a sense of the sculptor's style and technique at this point of his career.
Odoni's collection of modern sculpture has been recognised as the most adventurous in Venice of his day, though it is unclear whether his choice of contemporary pieces reflected the constraints of his finances or his taste. In Odoni's time, modern statuary was generally displayed in public rather than private spaces. His daring approach foreshadowed the late sixteenth century practice of collecting modern sculpture for its own artistic merit; by the end of the century it became a standard part of Venetian collections. Once again, this restless and visionary cittadino demonstrated an understanding of the sophisticated ideals associated with antiquity, while also showing off an innovative form of patronage.