Eagle head (1930)

Signed ‘R. Brozzi’

Provenance: private collection

Notes: the sculpture is a variant of the silver Head of an Eagle that belonged to Gabriele D’Annunzio and is kept at the Vittoriale. A second bronze example belonged to Benito Mussolini. A third, on a yellow marble base and antique imperial red marble pedestal, is preserved in the Franco Maria Ricci Collection. The fourth is in the Renato Brozzi Museum in Traversetolo, with an antique marble base. A final known variant, in silver-plated bronze on a grey onyx base, is in a private collection.

At the Vittoriale degli Italiani, on the Zambracca table – a study and passageway to the Leda room – there is an evocative silver Eagle’s Head, embellished with diamond eyes that give the impression of a watchful presence. The small sculpture, presented by Renato Brozzi at the International Goldsmiths’ Exhibition at the 1930 Venice Biennale, won first prize. The subject was so successful that it prompted the artist to produce several variations, including the one presented here in bronze with a precious onyx base.

Another version in bronze with an antique marble base is kept at the Brozzi Museum in Traversetolo, while a similar one was given by D’Annunzio himself to Mussolini, who is said to have placed it on his desk as a symbol of command. Another example, with a yellow marble base, is now part of the Franco Maria Ricci Collection. Finally, a silver-plated bronze replica with a grey onyx base belongs to a private collection. Praised by critics – Ugo Nebbia, in his description, praises Brozzi’s “subtle goldsmith’s flair”[1] – it is one of the sculptures that represents the close bond between the Vate and the artist. The first meeting between the two took place in Venice in 1919.

The poet, struck by the decorative apparatus of the Spada d’onore (Sword of Honour) created by Brozzi for General Armando Diaz, immediately wanted to meet the author, inviting him to dinner at the Casetta Rossa on the Grand Canal. From that occasion, a bond was formed that transcended the simple relationship between client and artist, transforming into a lasting friendship. D’Annunzio recognised Brozzi as his privileged interpreter in the field of animalier art, or “animaliere” as he used to call it, as attested by the numerous letters the two exchanged over two decades, until the poet’s death in 1938.

D’Annunzio, who had always been fascinated by unique and meaningful objects, commissioned the sculptor to create a long series of precious artefacts, and Brozzi never failed to satisfy him: small boxes with embossed decorations, small goldsmith’s wonders, plates, plaques, and even more significant sculptures, such as Cheli, the gilded bronze turtle inspired by D’Annunzio’s own turtle, which died suddenly. The Testa d’aquila (Eagle’s Head) was delivered to the poet in 1931. He was so impressed that he wrote one of his most affectionate letters[2] to the artist, declaring that he had even forgotten the pleasure of culatello (which Brozzi himself sent him from Parma) “to satisfy his spirit” with the beauty of the sculpture.

Like the sculpture of the turtle Cheli, which died of indigestion, representing a warning and symbolising moderation, balance and temperance (virtues to which the Vate was not very accustomed), the eagle, resting on the desk in his study, is an allegory of power, freedom and strength, encapsulated in what D’Annunzio calls the “heroic beak” [3] of the bird. The composition of the silver version, but also of the bronze specimen with an onyx base, stands out for the austere yet naturalistic lines of the head, characterised by a sharp gaze and the grace of the chiselled plumage: a small jewel of plastic strength and Art Deco elegance.

[1] U. Nebbia, La XVII Biennale di Venezia, “Emporium”, LXXII, 430, 1930, p. 233.

[2] Letter from Gabriele D’Annunzio to Renato Brozzi, 30 June 1931.

[3] Ibidem.

Elena Lago