Antonio Tantardini (Milano 1829 - 1879) "La Bagnante" Marble from Carrara Signed and dated on the base "A. Tantardini F. Milan 1858" Antonio Tantardini was born in Milan on June 12, 1829, and died there on March 7, 1879. He attended the Brera Academy as a student of Pompeo Marchesi and later became a teacher there. His work oscillates between realism and romanticism, encompassing portraits, religious works, and genre representations; he also worked at the Duomo's workshop and, in Milan, created the "Cavour" monument in 1865. In Vicenza, he produced the "Genius" for the Independence monument in 1871. Other important commissions came to him from Pavia ("Antonio Bordoni" and "Alessandro Volta"), Pisa, Rieti, and Turin. In Turin, from 1870, he was periodically among the exhibitors at the famous Exhibition of the Promotrice di Belle Arti. His works are also found at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Milano and in the Bergamo Civic Library (bust of Angelo Maj). A version of "La Bagnante", presented here, is currently exhibited at the Buenos Aires Museum and a smaller version of the same is at the Brescia Picture Gallery. Tantardini's fame also reached abroad where he participated in important exhibitions, including those of 1865 in Dublin, 1867 in Paris, and in London in 1862, 1875, 1876, and 1878.