Magdalena With Base By Alfonzo Ianelli

Alphonso Iannelli (1888-1968) was an important sculptor in and around the Chicago area in the early part of the last century. He is best known for his collaboration with Frank Lloyd Wright on the Midway Gardens entertainment complex. It was Iannelli that created all of the many sculptural elements at Midway Gardens, working from Mr. Wright's drawings. Included in this huge body of work are the Midway Gardens Sprite sculptures. We have taken a mold from an original Iannelli piece titled Magdalena". She is a wonderful stylized art deco female form. The original piece that we took our mold from is glazed terra-cotta and was purchased at an art auction in Philadelphia. Iannelli created this sculpture for a slip cast manufacturer around 1911-15. This places this work just prior to his Midway Gardens commission.