Modern Italian Signed Portrait as Roma Football Player

About the Item

Really impressive oil on canvas painting by the great modern Italian artist Umberto Carabella (Paliano, Frosinone 1912-1956). This is an intense portrait of the great football player Giancarlo 'Carlo' Galli, known as 'Testina d'oro' (Golden Head) for his skill in the head game. Period 1950s This painting, never before on the market, comes from a private collection. Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Sabrina Egidi official Expert in Italian furniture for the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and for the Rome Civil Courts. After his football training at Montecatini, Carlo Galli's competitive career remained inextricably linked to that of coach Giuseppe Gipo Viani. He met the future coach of the national team in Lucca in 1949 and in the summer of that year, when Viani moved to the Palermo bench, Galli was signed by the Rosanerodal from Cascina. Despite his stature, however, he was gifted in the aerial game and here Viani's contribution was decisive. He succeeded in making him a centre forward who made the most of his characteristics, so much so that he was nicknamed the golden head, and on 8 December 1949 came his Serie A debut. On 18 December (Palermo Lazio 2-1) he scored his first Serie A goal. He ended his first season in the top division with 8 goals. On 5 November 1950 (Palermo Pro Patria 8-0) he scored four goals. After two seasons, the Viani-Galli pair moved to Roma who, relegated to Serie B, looked for an immediate rise, focusing on young players and with the other signing, Lorenzo Bettini, formed a new offensive department. Roma won the 1951-1952 Serie B championship and Galli was the Giallorossi's top scorer with 13 goals. The following season, while Viani returned to the A grade by accepting the bench at Bologna, who were only saved by one point, Galli decided to rise in the top flight by staying at Roma. He wore the Giallorossi until 1956 when an exchange with Gunnar Nordahl led him to the Rossoneri shirt, where he met Viani again. He stayed at Milan for five years, collecting 112 appearances in Serie A, scoring 47 goals and winning two Scudetti (1956-1957 and 1958-1959). In the goal-scoring phase, the 5 goals scored in the Milan-Lazio match on 13 April 1958 (touching the all-time record) are worth remembering. This was followed by a brief experience with Udinese with whom he played 8 matches until November 1961, when he moved to Genoa, a team with which he won the 1961-1962 Serie B championship and the 1964 Coppa delle Alpi. He ended his professional career in the top division in Rome, this time at Lazio, remaining there until 1966. Galli played in the national military football team of Italy and Italy B. With Italy B he won the 1950-1953 edition of the Mediterranean Cup. With the senior national team he collected 13 matches and 5 goals, also participating in the World Cup in Switzerland. He also made 4 appearances and 2 goals with the National B team, 3 appearances and 3 goals with the youth team. He also played one match with the National B team on 11 December 1953 in Istanbul against the Turkish major team, a match won by the Azzurri 1-0 thanks to one of his goals. Having hung up his boots, Galli was appointed sporting director of Lazio until the 1970-71 season. He worked mainly as a talent scout. Later he opened an agency together with Nello Governato and Ferruccio Mazzola, and a racing hall in Montecatini Terme.

Dimensions:

Height: 20.08 in (51 cm)Width: 16.15 in (41 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Canvas,Wood

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1955