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Lot Essay
The count Giulio Venino (1837-1917) was a member of the old Lombard aristocracy and a passionate patron of the arts. Following unification, Venino held the important positions of president of the first Società dei Telefoni and then of the Ferrovie Nord. In the 1890s he also held the position of secretary of the Famiglia Artistica (an association of Milanese artists founded in 1873).
The present portrait first appeared at the annual Exhibition of the Famiglia Artistica in December 1894. The statue was praised unanimously by critics: 'a little portrait then of the noble Giulio Venino on horseback is a jewel of truth, of spirit, of life. It was Venino in person. The image overpowered the reality; the statue seemed more real than life, [...]' (Exhibition catalogue, Paolo Troubetzkoy 1866-1938, Museo del Paesaggio, Verbania, 29 April-29 July 1990, p. 102).
The present portrait first appeared at the annual Exhibition of the Famiglia Artistica in December 1894. The statue was praised unanimously by critics: 'a little portrait then of the noble Giulio Venino on horseback is a jewel of truth, of spirit, of life. It was Venino in person. The image overpowered the reality; the statue seemed more real than life, [...]' (Exhibition catalogue, Paolo Troubetzkoy 1866-1938, Museo del Paesaggio, Verbania, 29 April-29 July 1990, p. 102).