Vittoriano
On 10 March 1872 in Pisa, in the home of Pellegrino Rosselli and his wife Janeth Nathan, under the pseudonym George Brown, Giuseppe Mazzini, a leading exponent of Risorgimento patriotism, died. The news of his death drew a good number of followers to his bedside, including Silvestro Lega, one of the leading painters of 19th century Italy.
In the presence of Mazzini's body, Lega painted "The Dying Mazzini", a painting of extraordinary intensity, as well as of absolute artistic importance, in which the Father of the Fatherland is portrayed in all his fragile and composed humanity.
The work, on loan from the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design in Providence (USA), reaffirms the central role of painting in the process of transmitting historical memory.
On display are over 60 objects - including sculptures, paintings, engravings, photographs, manuscripts and Mazzini memorabilia, such as the glasses, sword and shawl that belonged to Carlo Cattaneo - that provide the public with a faithful and compelling historical context, enabling them to better understand Mazzini, Lega and the entire Risorgimento process.
