100 - Fascism-corporate syndicalism, Trieste, object donated by the Workers’ Cooperatives to the Hon. Lino Domeneghini upon his election to the Chamber of Deputies on April 24, 1929. Overall height 28 cm; base 10 x 8 cm

Fascism-corporate syndicalism, Trieste, object donated by the Workers’ Cooperatives to the Hon. Lino Domeneghini upon his election to the Chamber of Deputies on April 24, 1929. Overall height 28 cm; base 10 x 8 cm Bronze sculpture depicting a naked hero, most likely the Titan Prometheus, holding a staff in his right hand and with an eagle with outstretched wings perched on his left shoulder. The bronze statuette bears the engraved signature of the German sculptor Julius Paul Schmidt-Felling (1835–1920). Complete with its original black marble base featuring a silver plaque, finely engraved with the fasces and the dedication: “TO THE HON. LINO DOMENEGHINI – THE EMPLOYEES OF THE WORKERS’ COOPERATIVES – DDD- TRIESTE, 25.IV.VII”. The symbolism of this gift and the reference to Prometheus are highly complex, as is the personal and political history of Domeneghini, one of the most fascinating figures in early Fascist trade unionism. Prometheus, a young hero and friend of humanity and progress, aptly represented the thirty-year-old parliamentarian who had just been elected in that district and who, in Trieste, also served as Secretary of the Union of Industry, Commerce, and Agriculture. Domeneghini was born in Carcina, in the province of Brescia, in 1899. At just 17, he volunteered for military service. He commanded the Brescian action squads, the Lower Brescian Militia Cohort, and finally the “Disperata.” He soon became a direct collaborator with Augusto Turati, National Secretary of the PNF. In 1923, he led the Fascist agricultural workers’ unions in the Brescia area. In 1925, he served as an official of the Provincial Union of Fascist Farmers, and in 1927, as Inspector of the Brescia Provincial Federation of Trade Unions. That same year, he was appointed General Secretary of the Provincial Office of the Fascist Union in Grosseto, and in April 1928, Special Commissioner of the Parma Provincial Office. His unstoppable rise to the top of the Party was, however, interrupted at the age of just 35 by an assassination attempt. The item is in excellent condition.