2839 - Quirino Ruggeri (1883, Albacina – 1955, Rome), attributed;

Quirino Ruggeri (1883, Albacina – 1955, Rome), attributed; Equestrian statuette of Mussolini with the “Sword of Islam” Bronze, dark patina; marble plinth. Created in 1937 or shortly thereafter, this rare bronze statue depicts, in an idealized and dramatic manner, Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) in uniform, who served as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 to 1943 and, as “Duce del Fascismo” (“Leader of Fascism”) and “Capo del Governo” (“Head of Government”), had ruled as dictator at the head of the Fascist regime in Italy since 1925. Mussolini had previously bestowed upon himself the title “Protector of Islam” as part of a campaign and is shown here on March 20, 1937, in Tripoli (then the capital of Italian Libya, a colony of Fascist Italy in North Africa), triumphantly raising the “Sword of Islam” toward the sky. This sword had been presented to him two days earlier near Tripoli during a lavish ceremony by Jusuf Kerbisc (Jusuf Kerbisch), a leading Berber and supporter of the Italian occupation. However, the richly ornamented ceremonial sword—presented by propaganda as an Arab sword—had in fact been manufactured in Florence on Mussolini’s direct orders (after 1937, it was no longer used and was kept at the Rocca delle Caminate, Mussolini’s summer residence; it was lost after Mussolini’s fall in July 1943). Quirino Ruggeri is presumed to be the sculptor of this bronze piece; in 1938, a comparable, large equestrian monument by him was erected in Tripoli as a symbol of Mussolini’s Fascist rule. This significantly smaller version was likely produced in only a few copies and, due to the timeliness of the event, created within a short period of time. It was probably presented in 1937–38 to a small circle of high-ranking officers, politically important figures, and state guests. Attributed to Quirino Ruggeri (1883–1955). Dark-patinated equestrian statue of Mussolini brandishing the Sword of Islam in Tripoli on March 20, 1937. Marble base.