Guglielmo Marconi (Piccirilli)
Encyclopedia
Guglielmo Marconi is a public artwork by Attilio Piccirilli
, located at the intersection of 16th & Lamont St, N.W., in Washington, D.C.
, United States of America. The Guglielmo Marconi monument was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
survey in 1994. It stands as a tribute to Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi
.
pieces. In the front is a bust of Guglielmo Marconi (approx. 40 x 30 x 16 in.) which sits on a rectangular Stony Creek granite
base (approx. 95 x 32 x 18 in.). Behind the bust is the second bronze resting on another granite base (approx. 95 x 72 x 36 in.). The second bronze is an allegorist female figure sitting on a globe
with her legs stretched out behind her. She points her proper left arm straight in front of her while her proper right arm is raised and bent at the elbow. She is naked with a small piece of drapery on her lap.
According to Piccirilli she is "the Wave," representing "Marconi's contribution to science..."
The base housing the Marconi bust features the inscription on the proper left side:
On the same base's rear:
On the front of the base:
Attilio Piccirilli
Attilio Piccirilli was an American sculptor.Born in the province of Massa-Carrara, Italy, he was educated at the Accademia di San Luca of Rome.-Life and career:...
, located at the intersection of 16th & Lamont St, N.W., in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States of America. The Guglielmo Marconi monument was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....
survey in 1994. It stands as a tribute to Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
.
Description
This sculpture features two bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
pieces. In the front is a bust of Guglielmo Marconi (approx. 40 x 30 x 16 in.) which sits on a rectangular Stony Creek granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
base (approx. 95 x 32 x 18 in.). Behind the bust is the second bronze resting on another granite base (approx. 95 x 72 x 36 in.). The second bronze is an allegorist female figure sitting on a globe
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
with her legs stretched out behind her. She points her proper left arm straight in front of her while her proper right arm is raised and bent at the elbow. She is naked with a small piece of drapery on her lap.
According to Piccirilli she is "the Wave," representing "Marconi's contribution to science..."
The base housing the Marconi bust features the inscription on the proper left side:
- Attilio Piccirilli 1940.
On the same base's rear:
- ERECTED BY POPULAR SUBSCRIPTION
- AND PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF WASHINGTON
- THE MARCONI MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
- 1940
On the front of the base:
- MARCONI
- 1874-1937.