Achille Martelli
| Achille Martelli | |
|---|---|
| Born | Achille Alfonso Marcello Martelli 1829 Catanzaro, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
| 💀Died | 12 December 1903 Avellino, Kingdom of Italy12 December 1903 |
| 🏫 Education | Studied under Giuseppe Mancinelli and Filippo Palizzi |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Real Istituto di Belle Arti, Naples |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Painting; ceramic art; decorated maiolica |
| Style | Naturalism; domestic genre painting |
| Movement | Palizzian school; Southern Italian Naturalism |
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Achille Martelli (1829[1][lower-alpha 1] - 12 December 1903[2] was an Italian painter and ceramic artist active in southern Italy during the second half of the nineteenth century. Trained in Naples under Giuseppe Mancinelli and Filippo Palizzi, he combined naturalistic painting with a significant production of decorated maiolica, emerging as a distinctive figure within the Palizzian circle.[1] Martelli participated in the Garibaldian campaigns of 1860, exhibited widely at the Promotrici and National Exhibitions, and later directed the Paolo Anania De Luca School of Applied Arts in Avellino.
Biography
Early life and education
Achille Martelli was born in Catanzaro on 16 January 1834, the son of Francesco Saverio Martelli and Paolina Panni, and was registered at birth as Achille Alfonso Marcello Martelli.[3] He received his early education at the Real Liceo of Catanzaro between 1840 and 1845, an institution marked by liberal and anti‑Bourbon intellectual currents associated with Luigi Settembrini.[1]
Martelli first arrived in Naples on 12 May 1848 with the intention of joining the legion organized by the Princess of Belgioioso, and took part in the revolutionary events of 15 May.[1] His early political engagement was closely tied to the milieu of the Calabrian painter Andrea Cefaly, with whom he had established a friendship before moving to Naples.[3]
In the early 1850s he studied drawing under Giuseppe Mancinelli, who in 1851 entrusted him with accompanying a copy of his painting La Madonna degli Angeli to Tripoli.[3] In 1856 he was admitted to the Real Istituto di Belle Arti of Naples—despite exceeding the age limit—supported by a scholarship of nine ducats granted by the Intendant of the Province of Catanzaro.[3] During these years he maintained close ties with Cefaly and with a group of young artists who gathered in Cefaly’s studio in vicolo San Mattia, including Michele Lenzi, Achille Talarico, Rocco Lo Tufo, Rosalio Scerbo, and others.[1]
Garibaldian activity
Martelli’s political convictions led him to join Garibaldi’s forces in 1860. Together with Cefaly, Lenzi, and other companions from the vicolo San Mattia circle, he took part in the battle of Soveria Mannelli, entered Naples with the Mille on 7 September, and fought in the battle of Caserta Vecchia on 2 October.[1] These experiences shaped the patriotic themes of his early artistic production.[3]
Early career and first exhibitions
Martelli made his national debut at the First Italian Exhibition in Florence in 1861, presenting L’alloggio del garibaldino (also known as Il racconto dell’ospite garibaldino) and Scena domestica.[3] These works belong to the Garibaldian genre, which combined intimate domestic scenes with patriotic sentiment and naturalistic observation.
From 1862 onward he exhibited regularly at the Promotrice of Naples, becoming a member of the society and participating in many editions until 1881.[3] He also exhibited at the Promotrice of Turin (1863, 1865) and the Promotrice of Genoa (1864).[3] His works from this period include domestic interiors, children’s scenes, and literary subjects, reflecting the influence of Palizzi’s naturalism and the narrative sensibility appreciated by critics such as Vittorio Imbriani.[1]
Association with Michele Lenzi
After 1861 Martelli developed a deep artistic and personal bond with the Irpinian painter Michele Lenzi. The two shared studios in Naples, Avellino, and Bagnoli Irpino, and collaborated closely in both painting and ceramics.[3] Their friendship, strengthened by shared political experiences and artistic ideals, lasted until Lenzi’s death in 1886.[1]
Ceramic art and applied arts
Martelli emerged as one of the leading southern Italian decorators of maiolica in the late nineteenth century. His interest in ceramics intensified after visiting the Vienna Universal Exhibition of 1873, where he admired the maiolica painted by Giuseppe Benassai for the Ginori manufactory.[1]
He collaborated with the Giustiniani factory in Naples and exhibited ceramic works at major exhibitions. Among his most notable pieces are the Ritratto di Palizzi (1877), a copy of Domenico Morelli’s Salve Regina, a maiolica reproduction of his own O tempora! O mores! (1878), and a plate depicting Velázquez’s Los Borrachos (c. 1880).[3] His ceramic production was praised for its technical precision and chromatic subtlety.[1]
Later career in Avellino
In 1881 Martelli settled permanently in Avellino, where he became part of the local intellectual circle that included Nicola and Salvatore Pescatori, Scipione Capone, Belisario Bucci, and Vittorio Imbriani.[1] In 1882 he was appointed director of the Paolo Anania De Luca School of Applied Arts, where he taught geometric and ornamental drawing. He published the manual Elementi pratici del disegno geometrico‑lineare per le scuole elementari e serali in 1883.[3]
Martelli continued to exhibit his works at national exhibitions, including the National Exhibition of Turin (1880), the National Exhibition of Milan (1881), where he also presented two sculptures, and the National Exhibition of Palermo (1892).[3]
Death and legacy
Achille Martelli died in Avellino on 12 December 1903.[3] Through his will, drafted in 1896, he left several works to the Province of Avellino and to the Municipality of Bagnoli Irpino.[1]
In 1912 nineteen of his works were exhibited at the First Calabrian Art Exhibition in Catanzaro, organized to highlight the artistic heritage of the region.[1] Additional works were shown at the Reggio Calabria Biennials of 1920 and 1931.[1] Martelli’s paintings and ceramics are preserved today in the MARCA Museum in Catanzaro, the Museo Irpino in Avellino, and various public and private collections.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 ICSAIC, "Martelli, Achille", Dizionario Biografico della Calabria Contemporanea, 2020.
- ↑ "MARTELLI, Achille - Enciclopedia". Treccani (in italiano). Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 Cite error: Invalid
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Notes
- ↑ Several secondary sources (ICSAIC, Galleria Recta, Berardi Arte) give 1829 as Martelli’s year of birth, a date also supported by the Comune di Catanzaro. However, the Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Treccani, 2008) cites the baptismal certificate and related records from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, which indicate 1834.
External links
- Treccani - Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
- ICSAIC - Dizionario Biografico della Calabria Contemporanea
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