In this medallion depicting Marie Alcock, Giovanni-Battista Nini demonstrates his exceptional mastery of terracotta portraiture.
The profile, treated with exquisite delicacy, emerges from the background with striking presence. The circular composition, emphasized by a wavy border characteristic of the artist’s early works, highlights the fineness of the modeling. The virtuosic treatment of details—from the elaborate hairstyle with soft locks falling on the shoulder, to the lace of the bodice and the folds of drapery—reveals Nini’s extraordinary sensitivity to textures. The facial expression, both noble and natural, testifies to his ability to capture the personality of his subjects.
Thanks to inscriptions on examples in Ecouen and Edinburgh, Marie has been identified as the daughter of Michel Alcock, a steel industrialist from Birmingham who established a royal manufactory in La Charité-sur-Loire around 1764.
Additional Information
- Marie Alcock by Giovanni-Battista Nini, 1762
- Diameter: 15.2 cm
- Paris Museums, Carnavalet Museum, History of Paris
- https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/musee-carnavalet/oeuvres/marie-alcock
Giovanni-Battista Nini (1717-1786) was one of the most remarkable medallists of the 18th century. Of Italian origin, this versatile artist first trained in engraving and sculpture in Bologna before traveling to Spain. Settling in France from 1758, he specialized in creating terracotta medallion portraits, developing a unique technique that earned him great renown.
His installation at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire in 1772, where he directed the pottery and glassware manufactory for Jacques-Donatien Le Ray, marked the pinnacle of his career. His medallions, produced in multiple copies, constitute a valuable testimony to the society of his time.
