Ground floor

In his early works (1920-1930), the artist focuses on anatomical study, as can be seen in the study “Gli Amanti” realized when he was only 16 years old. The same attention to the volumes of the body is found in plastic exercises, having won the scholarship at the Zecca School of Rome, in which the proportions and anatomical details of the human figure are inserted into a defined space. Among the most significant works, where we see the influence of the master Giuseppe Romagnoli, is the Nudo virile appoggiato a un’asta”.
At the centre there is “Angelina” (1921-1922), the first true sculptural work, in patinated bronze plaster.
It is characterized by a modest gaze, expressing that sense of uncertainty typical of youth, and a collected pose, sitting on a low step with crossed legs and hands intertwined on the left knee. The work was intended for a fountain. It was his master Giuseppe Fallani who suggested turning the head to balance and harmonize the composition and make it more natural.
At the bottom, we find the “Vittoria Alata” (1925) created as part of the competition for the war memorial of Mercato Saraceno, Lorenzo Ferri’s hometown. The plaster sketch represents Victory about to take flight. Instead, the life-size detail can be compared to a revisitation of the Nike of Samothrace. On the wall, we find the “Legend of Orpheus” (1926), a bas-relief in patinated bronze plaster awarded in Buenos Aires. In a composition of classical design, in the upper part, the spiritual world is depicted, in the center the mythological figure of the musician Orpheus, who has the power to tame wild beasts with music. But in Orpheus, Christ is shadowed, redeeming humanity from passions, needs, and the fear of death symbolically depicted in the lower part – the material world, also divided: on the left, the virtuous part – the shepherds, the mothers – of humanity, on the right – the warriors – the worst part. In the center, there is the Ouroboros (in opposition to Orpheus) which is serpent that bites its tail, symbol of evil. According to the legend, in its self-chasingit expresses the eternal, namely the cycle of life and death.