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Fata Morgana
by Giambologna
About the Artwork
Commissioned by prominent banker Bernardo Vecchietti, whose surname means “old,” Fata Morgana took the name both of the nearby spring that fed the fountain she surmounted, and the legendary fairy who restored King Arthur’s youth. The Fata Morgana is one of only around a dozen sculptures in marble by Giambologna. The artist’s favorite subject was the female nude because of its capacity to showcase his extraordinary ability to model softness in hard stone and to convey dynamic movement. Her twisting pose invites the viewer to appreciate the Fata Morgana from every angle.
Provenance
1571–72: Commissioned by Bernardo Vecchietti for the Grotto of the Fata Morgana at Villa Il Riposo, Bagno a Ripoli, Italy 1571–72–c. 1773: In the Grotto of the Fata Morgana and Villa of Il Riposo 1773: Thomas Patch is noted as possessing the sculpture, in Florence 1775: October 14: Thomas Patch requests permission to export the sculpture to "an old English gentleman" 1775: November 20: Thomas Patch is granted permission to export the sculpture c. 1950: Purchased by Mr. Hoda of Hurst House, Essex c. 1962/67: Purchased by Charles Worel, London 1989: Consigned for sale by Charles Worel in the September 13 Christie's at Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire "Garden Furniture and Architectural Fittings" sale, lot 232 1989: Sept. 13: Patricia Wengraf (then trading as Alex Wengraf Ltd.), purchased at Christie's South Kensington at Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire, lot 232 1998: Private Collector, acquired from Alex Wengraf Ltd. 2025: The Cleveland Museum of Art, purchased through Patricia Wengraf Ltd., from the above private collection
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Giambologna (Flemish, active Italy, 1529–1608)
- Date
- c. 1572
- Medium
- Marble
- Dimensions
- Overall: 99 x 68 cm (39 x 26 3/4 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Accession no.
- 2025.18
More by Giambologna in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010638
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