Woman With Flowers On Head, Terracotta Sculpture, 1946, Giorgio Rossi (1894–1981)

Woman with Flowers on Head, terracotta sculpture, 1946, Giorgio Rossi (1894–1981), Tuscan Sculptor
Signed and dated “Giorgio Rossi 1946” on the back.

Material: Hand-modeled terracotta
Dimensions: Height 53 cm, Width 18 cm
Unique piece

This terracotta sculpture depicts a young woman standing upright, carrying a bundle of flowers on her head and holding another in her hands. The figure’s calm and composed posture recalls gestures rooted in rural tradition, rendered here through stylized and essential lines. The simplified volumes and balanced proportions reflect Rossi’s mature period, with clear references to late Art Deco sensibility. The work could be described as an example of Etruscan Art Deco, where the simplified form evokes both the solemnity of archaic statuary and the modern elegance of the 1930s.

The use of terracotta links the sculpture to the long-standing Tuscan tradition that—from Etruscan times to the Renaissance—embraced clay as a deeply rooted artistic and cultural expression. In Rossi’s hands, this ancestral material becomes a contemporary medium, blurring the line between antiquity and modernity.

The sculpture is documented in the catalogues of Giorgio Rossi’s collections and comes directly from the artist’s family, preserved as part of his personal legacy.

Condition:
Excellent state of preservation.

Exhibitions:
Although created in 1946—after Rossi’s participation in the Venice Biennale (1930, 1936)—the work continues the formal language he had developed in earlier decades: measured synthesis, sculptural strength, and timeless elegance.

Artist Biography:
Giorgio Rossi (1894–1981) was a Tuscan sculptor known for his ability to interpret realism and figurative tradition with a modern sensibility. Born in Florence, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under Antonio Bortone. His sculptures, often in terracotta and alabaster, are characterized by essential forms that enhance the expressive power of the subject.

He exhibited at major Italian institutions, including the Venice Biennale (1930, 1936), and taught sculpture for over thirty years at the School of Art and Industry in Volterra, where he played a key role in the renewal of Tuscan art in the 20th century. His legacy, passed down through his family, reflects a vision that unites tradition and innovation, Etruscan roots and modern language.