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Ilaria del Carretto (Ilaria Guingi)
Ilaria del Carretto (Ilaria Guingi)

Ilaria del Carretto (Ilaria Guingi)

After (Quercegrossa, Italy, 1374 - 1438)
Associated (Zuccarello, Italy, 1379 - 1405)
Datec. 1414
Mediumplaster cast (original carrara marble)
ClassificationsSculptures
DimensionsOverall (Height x Width x Depth): 208 × 72 × 39cm
Weight: 196 kg including crate
Top Half dimensions: 1,120 mm x 720 mm x 370 mm
Bottom Half dimensions: 960 mm x720 mm x 230mm



AcquisitionPresented in 1905 by the Aberdeen Society of Architects.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG004783
About MeIlaria del Carretto, who died at aged twenty-six after giving birth to her second child in 1405, was the second wife of Paolo Guinigi, a wealthy merchant of Lucca.
A dog, symbol of fidelity and in particular marital fidelity, looks up expectantly at his mistress from her feet. Ilaria seems to be sleeping with her hands over her swollen abdomen to remind us of the cause of her death.

The tomb is in the family chapel in Lucca Cathedral, although it was moved for a time to the Uffizzi in Flrence, it was returned to its original site in 1884.

The use of several nude putti at the flanks of the tomb clearly shows the classical influence of the Roman sarcophagi at Camposanto (Pisa). This work then can be seen as a harbinger of the incipient Renaissance. The work was eulogised by John Ruskin which may have led to it being cast and subsequently included in many cast collections.

More About Me
Ilaria died age 26 in childbirth. This is a plaster cast of her marble tomb, much admired by John Ruskin, in Lucca Cathedral, Italy.