Carlo De Veroli – Bronze Sculpture Of A Semi-reclining Female Nude

Carlo de Veroli was a renowned Italian sculptor. The nephew of the famous artist Arturo Dazzi, De Veroli trained in Carrara and worked extensively in Rome—collaborating on the friezes for the *Altare della Patria* (Altar of the Fatherland)—and later in Naples, where he held the chair of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts. He is historically celebrated for creating nine of the monumental marble athlete statues that adorn the *Stadio dei Marmi* at the Foro Italico in Rome. The sculpture perfectly reflects the artist's aesthetic style from the 1920s and 1930s. The woman's pose—with her torso raised and head tilted back in an attitude of abandon or slumber—evokes works inspired by Classical and Hellenistic art, filtered through the sculptural traditions of Vincenzo Gemito and his uncle, Arturo Dazzi. The contrast between the smooth surfaces of the forms and the rough, rugged base is characteristic of his personal brand of 20th-century primitivism. It is a lost-wax bronze casting. Visible inside are remnants of the casting core (the grayish-white mixture used as the mold's inner core) and the metal support armature; these elements confirm the manufacturing style typical of early 20th-century Neapolitan foundries (such as the historic Chiurazzi Foundry, with which the artist collaborated). The bronze features a beautiful, dark, polished patina on the raised areas—resulting from handling and natural aging—along with slight traces of greenish oxidation and dust deposits in the recesses of the base, all of which underscore the object's authenticity and age. The sculpture's dimensions are as follows: 34 cm wide, 28 cm high, and 18 cm deep.