Singular aluminum bust of Novecento taste placed within a background of inlaid wood whose vegetal decoration with oleander leaves alludes to the name of the young woman portrayed, Leandra Mortara, daughter of Pietro Mortara, entrepreneur from Canneto sull'Oglio who, after moving to Milan at a very young age, made his fortune and was able to frequent the artistic environment, galleries and auction houses of the city, building up a valuable collection.
Leandra (1907-1931) was his only daughter: a portrait of the young girl, dressed in red, is displayed in the previous room, painted by Antonio Pasinetti. In this case, however, it is a portrait commissioned post-mortem, which takes up the one executed for the tomb of the young woman at the Monumental Cemetery of Milan by Michele Vedani, an artist who trained at the Brera Academy under the guidance of Enrico Butti, and one of the protagonists of that monumental sculpture which then found in celebration and memory multiple opportunities to express itself.
In 1946 Pietro Mortara bequeathed a large part of his property and his art collection to the town where he was born, in particular to the Hospital, which was to be named after his daughter Leandra. This is the current non-profit Foundation Casa Leandra that, while waiting to find a suitable exhibition space in Canneto sull'Oglio, has decided to allow the public use of the Mortara Collection by depositing it in this Museum.
Among the works of the Collection exhibited in this room are the Vecchia contadina (old peasant woman) by Pietro Gaudenzi and various landscapes by painters who contributed to the renewal of the genre in the early 20th century.
Loan from Fondazione onlus Casa di Riposo Leandra - Canneto sull'Oglio (Mortara Collection)
