Timeline
Living in the Time of Renato
Renato Nullo Luigi Brozzi was born on August 7 in Traversetolo into a humble family originally from Sala Baganza. His father, Igino, and uncle Nullo ran a barbershop next to the Caffè Salsi, while his mother, Anna Martini, daughter of a blacksmith, worked as a seamstress. As the eldest of five children, Renato did very well in his first three years of elementary school. After classes, he began working in his father’s workshop, where he earned the nickname “Siviglia.” (fig. 1. Renato Brozzi as a schoolboy, ca. 1891–1895)
What happened this year? A landmark year for science and technology: Louis Pasteur performed the first human trial of his rabies vaccine, and Sylvanus F. Bowser patented the first gasoline pump, revolutionizing fuel distribution.
He crafted a masterful silver Plate in Renaissance style—an extraordinary display of virtuosity—purchased in Parma from a Venetian antique dealer and attributed to a follower of Cellini. (fig. 2. Plate in Renaissance style, 1905)
Awarded a prize at the Sempione Exhibition in Milan, recognizing his exceptional work in metalwork and design.
In 1911, Renato Brozzi took part in decorating the Parma Salon at the International Exhibition of Rome, inspired by the Golden Chamber of Torrechiara within the Emilia-Romagna pavilion. His talent was recognized when the Academy of Fine Arts of Parma named him an honorary member. (fig. 4. Latino Barilli, Daniele de Strobel, Renato Brozzi, Amedeo Bocchi in the honor courtyard of the castle, 1911)
In 1915, Renato Brozzi moved into a low-cost studio at Villa Strohl-Fern in Rome, provided by the Alsatian patron Alfred Wilhelm Strohl. He shared the space with his friend Amedeo Bocchi, deepening their artistic collaboration. (fig. 5. Renato Brozzi in Amedeo Bocchi’s studio at Villa Strohl-Fern, ca. 1915–1916)
In 1917, Renato Brozzi was called up for military service and, after being initially deemed unfit, was later assigned to sedentary duty. Stationed with the 16th territorial militia battalion in Cagliari, he used his time on the island to create detailed graphic studies of landscapes and local wildlife—mouflons, fallow deer, and wild boars. (fig. 6. Renato Brozzi as a soldier in Cagliari, 1917)
In 1918, Renato Brozzi created the Targa degli Irredenti, a fine gold relief mounted on green stone from Diocletian’s Palace in Split. He presented it to Gabriele D’Annunzio on September 16 in Venice. (fig. 7. Targa degli Irredenti of Venezia Giulia and Dalmatia, 1918)
In September 1918, Brozzi presented the Sword of Honor—a silver and damascened steel work designed by Ettore Tito—to General Armando Diaz in Venice’s Doge’s Palace courtyard. Impressed, D’Annunzio later invited him to dinner at the Casetta Rossa, forging a lasting friendship. That same year, Brozzi won the design contest for the reverse of the 10-cent coin, featuring a bee gathering nectar from a poppy, symbolizing diligence and thrift. (fig. 9. Reverse of the 10-cent coin, 1918)
After World War I, Brozzi’s mother and sisters settled in Rome. In 1921, he created two works for D’Annunzio: the VT LEO FIDIBVS POTENS plaque honoring conductor Arturo Toscanini, and the Benaco Cup, a trophy for seaplane races on Lake Garda. (fig. 10. Benaco Cup Trophy, 1921)
For D’Annunzio, he crafted the Luthier’s Cup in memory of musician Gasparo da Salò as a rowing trophy, and an eleven-piece silver Franciscan Plate Set featuring the Franciscan cord motif and Latin mottos. (fig. 11 & 12. Luthier’s Cup & Franciscan Plate, 1922–1923)
On May 27, 1923, Brozzi’s Angular Victory monument to First World War casualties was unveiled in Traversetolo, with an inscription by D’Annunzio. A replica became the figurehead of the battleship Puglia in 1928. (fig. 13)
In 1928, Brozzi finished the gilded bronze Cheli Turtle commissioned by D’Annunzio, to be mounted on a real shell in the Vittoriale gardens. (fig. 16)
In 1933, Brozzi crafted the gold Wheat Victory statuette for the Battle of the Grain competition, mounted on a red-and-black agate base. (fig. 18)
In 1934, D’Annunzio commissioned two gold plaques with eagles for aviator Francesco Agello’s marriage, calling Brozzi the “unwitting heir of Pisanello.” He also began a silver altar set for the Gabiano Monferrato chapel, completed in 1938 but delivered after long legal disputes. (fig. 19)
In early 1936, Brozzi and assistant Mario Minari meticulously restored the Roman-era Marengo Treasure for the National Roman Museum, triumphantly returning dented silver pieces to their original form. (fig. 20)
In 1939, Brozzi made an elegant chest for the submarine Fra’ Alberto Guglielmotti’s battle flag in Civitavecchia and a pair of life-size bronze deer for Rhodes’ Mandraki port entrance. (fig. 23)
He engraved the one-kilogram gold Golden Ear trophy for the Battle of the Grain campaign, set on a lapis lazuli base with gold veining. (fig. 24)
The Giuseppe Micheli Celebration Committee commissioned a Commemorative Plaque, presented on September 12 at Conca dei Lagdei during festivities in his honor. (fig. 25)
In 1951, Brozzi strengthened ties with his hometown by helping recover the church bells, creating an urban redevelopment model, and crafting a refined Table Bell with the Angiolén del Dóm for the Rotary Club of Parma. (fig. 26 & 27)
In 1955, Brozzi sculpted four angel-head bronze waterspouts for the Camorali Chapel in Parma and created a new Portrait of Ildebrando Cocconi for the family chapel in Sivizzano. (fig. 28 & 29)
After architect Mario Monguidi’s sudden death, Brozzi withdrew from the Parma memorial project. (fig. 30)
In April 1961, Traversetolo and Pro Traversetolo staged a major retrospective of Brozzi’s work in the town hall, later shown at the Vittoriale. (fig. 31)
In 1963, Renato Brozzi died on June 21, at nearly 78 years old. He entrusted his sister Graziella with donating all his artworks to the Municipality of Traversetolo, wishing for a permanent exhibition to preserve and share his artistic heritage. (fig. 32. Renato Brozzi with the clay model of an animal sculpture featuring “damigelle” battling for a mate, 1941)
