Aristide Petrilli (1868-1930) Italian sculptor
Born in Tivoli, Lazio, and studied in Florence at the Art Institute and subsequently at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. He worked with Raffaello Romanelli before establishing his own studio at via Serragli in Florence. He specialized in romanticized figures of classical and historical themes, often using coloured marbles or bronze or gilt highlights, and is most remembered for his maidens in the Renaissance style.
Petrilli’s works were exhibited in the Salon of the Société des Artistes Français in 1896 (n° 3744 “Deux haut-reliefs” and n° 3745 “L’Empereur Napoléon Bonaparte”). He subsequently exhibited a bust of Joan of Arc at the Paris Exposition Universelle (1900), and Wrestling Bacchantes at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World’s Fair). The Wrestling Bacchantes is now displayed in the Atascadero, California Sunken Gardens, and several other pieces at the Hearst Castle. His realistic bronze Ritratto di Giacomo Puccini is now in Montevarchi, Italy. It is also reported that he created the plaque commemorating the Caduti per la Soc. Sportiva Sempre Avanti in Florence.
Typical Inscription: Galle / Prof Petrilli / Firenze.