'Mamma ce n'è una sola' - An Important Lifesize Statuary Marble Figural Group

'Mamma ce n'è una sola' - An Important Lifesize Statuary Marble Figural Group

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Object Description

An Important Lifesize Statuary Marble Figural Group of a Mother and Her Two Children, Entitled ‘Mamma ce n’è una sola’ (You only have one mother), By Silverio Martinoli (Italain, 1830-1913).

Signed ‘MARTIONLI F.CT 1874’ and titled ‘Mamma ce ne una sola’.

Italy, Dated 1874.

Object History

Martinoli belonged to the verismo school and was well-known for his genre subjects, of which this marble is an excellent example, demonstrating not only his extraordinary technical skill but also his ability to imbue an everyday subject with grace and tenderness. The sculptor’s masterful deep undercutting of the stool and footstool creates an impression of lightness in the large marble group; the folds of drapery, falling from the mother’s shoulder, contribute to the sense of informality. Martinoli has captured a tender and intimate moment in which the mother shifts her focus from her book to her two children, caressing the toddler’s curly head while nursing the baby.

This large and tenderly modelled group was exhibited at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1878. It is described as:
‘A young mother sitting, with her baby clinging to her breast, bends over to kiss a little boy proud of his soldier’s cap. It is a lively and original group.’ (L’Esposizione di Parigi del 1878 illustrata, L’Arte Italiana, La Pittura e la Scultura, Milano, 1878, p. 738).

Exhibited:
National Exhibition, Naples, 1877.
Exposition universelle, Paris, 1878.