Roberto Ferruzzi
1853–1934 · Dalmatian-born Italian painter, author of Madonnina
Roberto Ferruzzi (Sebenico, 1853 – Venice, 1934) was an Italian painter born in Dalmatia to Italian parents. His name is mainly linked to Madonnina, the work with which he won the second Venice Biennale in 1897, an exhibition that was then becoming an international showcase for Italian art. He was largely self-taught as a painter, and he built his career without belonging to any formal school.
As a child he moved with his family to Venice. After his father, a well-known lawyer, died, he spent part of his youth in Dalmatia, where he combined classical studies with his first efforts in painting. As an adult painter he first exhibited in Turin in 1883, with figure paintings. His genre works focused on everyday life and childhood: in 1887 he showed La prima penitenza in Venice, a scene of a boy praying the rosary as penance for misbehaviour, and at the Palermo exhibition of 1891–1892 his canvas Hush! won an award.
Madonnina was first presented in 1897 under the title Maternità, as it was meant to represent motherhood. The extraordinary sweetness of its expression led it to be known as Madonnina, the name by which it is remembered today. Ferruzzi had settled in Luvigliano, a frazione of Torreglia, where his best works are believed to have been made. He died in Venice in 1934 and was buried in the small cemetery of Luvigliano, near his wife, Ester Sorgato, and his daughter, Mariska.
Works (1)
Curiosities
From Maternità to Madonnina
The painting was conceived to represent motherhood, but the extraordinary sweetness of its expression led people to call it Madonnina. Many other names followed: Madonna, Madonna with Child, Our Lady of Repose, Our Lady of the Roads, Our Lady of Tenderness, Madonnella and Zingarella. This range of titles shows how widely the image circulated and how varied the ways of naming it became.
Three Robertos in one family
The painter's name recurs in his family. Two of his descendants were also called Roberto: the first, known as Bobo, was a painter of the Venetian lagoon, and the second, nicknamed Robi, became a noted expert in art history and an antiquarian in Venice. This shared name often causes confusion when searching for information about the artist, so it is worth distinguishing between them.
A law degree and a different calling
Before devoting himself to painting, Ferruzzi followed a legal education. According to the sources, he enrolled at the Liceo Marco Foscarini in Venice and then studied at the University of Padua, where he obtained a law degree. He did not, however, practise law; his vocation led him instead to painting, which he pursued as a self-taught artist.