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Artist/Maker
Fausta V. Mengarini
(Italian, 1893 - 1952)
Date1934
MediumBronze
DimensionsOverall: 25 3/4 in. × 10 in. × 9 in. (65.4 × 25.4 × 22.9 cm)
Base: 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (16.5 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Brent G. Orcutt, Class of 1926
Object number1985.15
On view
DescriptionSculptor Fausta Vittoria Mengarini was raised in her family’s Roman villa, where her father Guglielmo Mengarini often hosted salons attended by prominent artists and intellectuals. Mengarini was only eighteen when she began to receive praise and acclaim for her sculptures. She is primarily known for her portrait busts, which are often compared to works of classical Roman sculpture. In the words of Ada Rainey, Mengarini’s portraits have the “characteristics of the old Roman portraits with something added.” Her most famous works include a portrait bust of Benito Mussolini and various high-ranking members of his regime (she was the only artist commissioned by Mussolini to fashion a bust in his likeness). This bronze portrait depicts Antonio Locatelli (1895–1936), an Italian aviator and legislator of the National Fascist Party. Mengarini’s opinion of Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship is unknown, but her connection to the autocrat and his regime cannot—and should not—be ignored.
Collections
Additional Details
Exhibition History
2015
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Seek and Find," September 1, 2015 - ongoing (no cat., brochure).
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Seek and Find," September 1, 2015 - ongoing (no cat., brochure).
Provenance
1985: Hamilton College (Fred L. Emerson Gallery), by gift of Brent G. Orcutt;
c. 1985: Brent G. Orcutt, by purchase from artist's estate.
c. 1985: Brent G. Orcutt, by purchase from artist's estate.
Signature
Signed and dated by incision along right shoulder of bust: FAUSTA-VITTORIA / MENGARINI - ROMA 1934
Renée Stout
Date: 2008-10
Medium: Acrylic, latex paint, spray paint, plastic rhinestones, wood, glass, metal, varnish, collage, and found objects
Object number: 2016.2
Karen Hampton
Date: 2015
Medium: Dye-sublimation print on polyester twill over archival inkjet print on silk organza, with hand-stitching
Object number: 2015.4
Julia Margaret Cameron
Date: 1867 (published 1893)
Medium: Photogravure, mounted on matboard
Object number: 1990.6
Silvia Taccani
Date: 1989
Medium: 12 Polaroid SX-70 prints mounted to mat board
Object number: 1991.218
Sharon Lockhart
Date: 2008
Medium: Three chromogenic prints
Object number: 2014.1.a-c
Marla Sweeney
Date: 2003
Medium: Archival inkjet print
Object number: 2020.8.22
Unknown, Peru (Cuzco School)
Date: late 17th-early 18th century
Medium: Oil on canvas
Object number: 2019.12
George Catlin
Date: published 1838
Medium: Lithograph with hand coloring
Object number: 1971.42