Giovanni Maria Benzoni

The present work, depicting a young girl and her dog, is meant to personify gratitude. Giovanni Maria Benzoni made different variations of this composition, some of which depict fidelity and innocence, but all of which use a girl and her dog to convey these sentiments.

Benzoni studied under Giuseppe Fabri before entering the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in 1828. Equally renowned for both his religious work and more classical subjects, he executed funerary monuments, architectural sculptures, portrait busts and romantic-era decorative works, which cemented his popularity amongst varying audiences.

Benzoni was a truly international artist who received commissions from aristocratic families all over the world, from St. Petersburg to Brazil. He carried these out from his studio in Rome, which was created specifically to meet the growing demand for art from the Eternal City that would often be bought as souvenirs during patrons' Grand Tours.

Today, his work is housed in a number of museums, including the Salar Jung Museum, India, the High Museum of Art, Atlanta and the Berkshire Museum, Massachusetts.