Guido Righetti Bronze Two African Marabouts (1914)

This group sculpture by Guido Righetti, entitled Two African Marabouts, is a striking work created in 1914. It depicts two marabouts, birds emblematic of African landscapes, frozen in a moment of silent tension. One, on the left, partially spreads its wings in an expressive gesture, while the other, folded in on itself, stands motionless on one leg.
The contrast between movement and stillness, between exteriority and interiority, gives the whole a remarkable expressive force. The modeling is edgy and spontaneous, enlivened by powerful striations and reliefs that convey both the feathered structure and the inner presence of the birds.
The brown patina, enriched with warm reflections, makes the volumes vibrate and reveals the tactile richness of the material. The work is mounted on a veined brown marble base, which emphasizes the silent nobility of the composition. Two African Marabouts is listed in the monograph Guido Righetti by Poletti & Richarme (UDB, 2007), p. 81, under number 52. This print, made in Italy during the artist's lifetime, predates the posthumous editions produced in the 21st century by Univers du Bronze. It thus constitutes a historic and rare version, faithful to the artist's original intention.
Stylistically, the work is fully in line with the modernist animal movement of the early 20th century. Like his contemporary Rembrandt Bugatti, Righetti captures the singular vitality of his subjects without idealizing them, preferring a raw and sensory expressiveness. The influence of their shared master, Paolo Troubetzkoy, is evident in the impressionistic, spontaneous, and intuitive modeling.
Two African Marabouts is a poignant testimony to Righetti's poetic view of the animal kingdom—at once modernist, naturalist, and deeply sensitive.
 

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