20th Century Gilded Bronze Plaque Sculpture Praying Madonna by Mario Gatti for Guido Reni, Italy, 1950s

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Description of the object
plaque, a bas-relief sculpture in gilded bronze finished with enamel using a chemical process, depicting guido … Read more Description of the object
plaque, a bas-relief sculpture in gilded bronze finished with enamel using a chemical process, depicting guido reni’s “praying madonna” with her hands crossed over her chest, mounted on a panel covered in green velvet, created by the famous sculptor mario gatti, signed by the artist himself with an incised signature in the lower right corner, dating from around 1950–1970, modern design. The madonna is of excellent artistic quality and closely echoes the iconography of 17th-century russian icons in terms of lines and style—note, for example, the elongated neck and hands— or observe the enamels, created using a chemical process and deliberately treated with acid to wear them down and age the object, giving the sculpture that antique feel, precisely to resemble icons that are often damaged and have areas where the color is missing. The madonna depicted is the praying madonna with her hands crossed over her chest, based on a painting by guido reni (bologna, first half of the 17th century).

information about the artist and/or workshop
mario gatti, son of vittorio—a well-known bookseller, publisher, and playwright—the sculptor mario gatti (brescia, 1916–1990) came to know, through family connections, prominent figures in the worlds of culture and art, including arturo benedetti michelangeli, with whom he shared a rigorous poetic vision. He created the portrait of the pianist in 1933: an early work, therefore, but shaped with keen interpretive skill; exhibited at the lombardy regional exhibition in milan, it earned a place in *illustrazione italiana*. This was the period when gatti primarily worked with wax, a medium he would continue to use until the late 1940s, in works such as *la veletta*—which won the luigina mastrazzi prize in 1946—*la comunione* from the following year, and various others accepted by the angelicum in milan, including figures such as the portrait of bishop giacinto tredici, now housed in the episcopal palace of brescia. The stylistic shift took place after his stay in paris: not only did gatti abandon wax in favor of bronze, but his vision became increasingly characterized by a constructive and expressive synthesis that would lead him to a formal purity enhanced by the contemplation of solid forms and the linearity of profiles, echoing the work of arp and, more closely, manzù. With works that attested to his progressive artistic evolution, he participated in exhibitions in various italian cities (bergamo, novara…); by the end of the 1950s, his work was on display at the le grazie gallery in milan and, shortly thereafter, at the la fontana gallery in rome—the city where he resided in 1961, maintaining a studio in the building that had once belonged to canova, and where his works were exhibited alongside those of the leading sculptors of the time. But just as artistic recognition seemed within reach, his deteriorating health forced him to return to brescia. A difficult period followed for mario gatti, who, forced to make painful sacrifices, shared with his wife and four children the struggle of setting up a new studio and securing new commissions. His first major commission came from rescaldina, near milan: a via crucis for the parish church designed by architect magistretti and consecrated by giovanni battista montini, the future pope paul vi. From that moment on, commissions began to flow again; and his participation in exhibitions also increased, including those in trieste, vercelli, bologna, and são paulo, brazil… solo exhibitions were hosted by the aab and the san michele gallery in 1968, 1969, 1971, and 1975, combined with participation in exhibitions of sacred art. Evidence of the growing recognition mario gatti had earned includes the portrait of pius xii, commissioned by the vatican; the bust of the africanist roberto becchetti at the university college of pavia; the reliefs dedicated to leopoldo nember adorning the brescia bus station; the portrait of giorgio montini commissioned by banca san paolo, the decorative panels for the parish church in sarezzo, and the bust of father ottorino marcolini unveiled in mompiano in 1982. For the oratory in sotto il monte and the house of the emigrant in brussels, gatti created the portrait of john xxiii, while *bishop* and *political prisoners* became part of the collection of our city’s gallery of modern art. Funeral compositions remain in the vantini cemetery, while commemorative works and monuments can be found in villa carcina, palazzolo, ponte zanano, desenzano, provezze, tremosine, sarezzo, bagnolo, and castenedolo: these works are listed alongside *warrior* and *fourteen-year-old* in the catalog for the exhibition *20th-century brescian sculpture*, held at palazzo martinengo in 1995. This piece has an attribution mark,
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