Centaur

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Centaur

About the Item

Davide Venturi founded the company that bore his name in 1840 in San Giovanni in Persiceto. At first he was simply one of dozens of sculptors in marble working on monuments in the Certosa cemetery, but over the next few years he built up his business into a solidly established company. Rather than producing only individual works, he preferred the assistance of other sculptors, expanding his labour force when carrying out work on religious buildings and private residences. In the oldest photographs from the family archives, Davide Venturi stands next to Massimiliano Putti, the renowned sculptor from Bologna, at the site of various projects, culminating in the decorations of the Pallavicini monument in 1868. He gained national recognition at the Esposizione Emiliana exhibition, held in Bologna in 1888 and intended to involve the city in the national economy. Thus the Venturi company took on the proportions of a real ‘craft’ industry, equipped with the best technology of the day. It was not long before commissions had become so numerous that the only workshop in Bologna, far removed from the marble quarries, could not deliver at competitive prices. And so a branch opened in Pietrasanta in Tuscany, which again presented the company with new challenges. Subsequently, a second branch opened in Caracas in Venezuela, and an office representing Davide Venturi in Los Angeles in America. Davide Venturi & Figlio participated in numerous international exhibitions, including the Esposizione Nazionale di Palermo (1891-1892) (gold medal), the Prima Mostra d'Arte Applicata all'Industria di Bologna in 1892 (honorary diploma), the Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles in 1897 (silver medal), the Esposizione Centroamericana del Guatemala in 1898 (gold medal) and the Esposizione Internazionale di Milano in 1906 (honorary diploma). Albums and catalogues illustrated the best of Venturi’s production, showing not only the most complex projects in marble in the Certosa but also public national monuments in Rome, Ferrara, Bologna and Cento. Smaller albums show how widely Venturi’s work had spread; it could be seen from Ferrara to Naples. Major commissions came from outside Italy too, from Caracas, Granada, England and South Africa. The albums from the archive show memorials, ornaments, pulpits and chapels, and sculptures designed to embellish buildings such as the Palace of Justice in Modena and the Savings Bank of Bologna, as well as many fireplaces and decorative elements for urban and suburban villas. Funerary statues in various genres and sizes were particularly well represented. Many of these sculptures were based on existing models, while others were designed by sculptors from Bologna or at least naturalized sculptors (S. Galletti. M. Putti, C. Monari, E. Barbèri, A. Orsoni, T. Golfarelli, M. Sarto, D. Sarti, etc.). In this way the most successful models by these artists spread in Italy, Europe, South Africa, South America and of course the United States. Monogrammed A.C. H. ca. 53,18 inches (130 cm), W. ca. 47,24 inches (120 cm), D. ca. 17,72 - 26,77 inches (45 - 68 cm). Depicted in: Marmi Album della Ditta Davide Venturi & Figlio di Bologna – Filiale in Pietrasanta (Toscana), series 8, no. 33 Sources: Berresford, S. (ed.) (2007), Carrara e il mercato della scultura, Milano: Federico Motta; Certosa di Bologna – Il Museo virtuale della Certosa di Bologna (consulted 1 August 2012); Degiovanni, C., & Martorelli, R. (ed.) (2011), Venturi, Tura, Sacilotto: 170 anni di lavorazione del marmo tra Bologna, Pietrasanta e Caracas, Bologna: Tipografia Moderna; Marmi Album della Ditta Davide Venturi & Figlio di Bologna – Filiale in Pietrasanta (Toscana), series 8, no. 33; Scardino, L., & Torresi, A. P. (post mortem) (1998), Disegni, decorazioni e sculture per la Certosa ottocentesca di Ferrara, Ferrara: Liberty House.

Creator:
Davide Venturi & Figlio Di Bologna (Sculptor)
Dimensions:
Height: 51.18 in (130 cm)Width: 47.24 in (119.99 cm)Depth: 26.77 in (68 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Carrara Marble
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
End of the 19th century.
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Brussels & Antwerp, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU9516771139