[1993#05] la collezione salce
Mr Salce, the “Accountant”, and The Greatest Italian Collection of Posters
It is always a very big surprise, when someone realizes that in Treviso there is an extraordinary archive of near 25.000 Italian affiches. The “Bailo” Municipal Museum of this nice, provincial town of Veneto, some forty km North of Venice, actually holds the Salce Collection, the largest of Italian posters. From the half of last century (the oldest, a small Avviso d’Operafor the representation of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at The La Fenice Grand Theater of Venice in 1844) to the early 60s of our century (where is a young Vignelli’s poster, too), you may come across 350 Boccasile, 300 Cappiello, 600 Dudovich, 400 Mauzan, and so on; in a word: the history of the Italian poster, as seen from the personal taste of an original collector. Therefore, who was Mr Salce, the collector?
A Life For Posters
Ferdinando Salce (better known as “Nando”) was born in Treviso, the 22 of March, 1877; his father Giovanni is a well–to–do textile dealer, with a retail store in Borgo Mazzini 3, not far from the fine family house with a huge attic—the Nando’s collection archive for decades—, near Porta San Tommaso. Destined to follow in father’s commercial footsteps, Nando studies with good results Accounting at the Treviso Technical Commercial Institute: all his life, he will be called “Ragionier” Salce, the “Accountant”. At the age of 17, with two friends, he takes a trip in bicycle in Austria and Switzerland without the family’s knowing—but his aunt from Vicenza sends to Treviso letters previously written by Nando, to cover the escape. And immediately after, in 1895, he starts the collection that will keep him busy all life: fascinated by the poster of the Auer Gas–Lamp’s smiling lady of Mataloni, he buys it for one lira and brings home, or better to its huge attic his first affiche. At the age of 22, Nando marries the one–year–younger Regina (“Gina”) Gregory, daughter of Vincenzo Gregory, a well–to–do Engineer; they will not have children, but Gina too will soon love posters: all their life will be of happiness and prosperity. The Salce’s early and meticulous interest for the affiche, irregularly systematic as only can be a true individual passion (he gathers also ugly items, for documentary purposes, not only things of his liking), grows voraciously and the taste is refined—as it may be followed through his epistolary. In 1898, the “La Bicicletta” magazine is requested by him of a “cartellone illustrato” (advertising poster) by the restless painter Aleardo Villa, one of the great affichistes of the Ricordi atelier, which the last day of 1906 will die suicide; probably in the same year 1898, he begin to ask posters to the E. & A. Mele & Ci–Magazzini Italiani: an extraordinary source of wonderful posters. In 1902, Oreste Cappiello provides to Nando many posters of his brother Leonetto Cappiello; in 1910, the “Accountant” starts a regular correspondence with Codognato, Dudovich, Metlicovitz, among others. The collection grew, and grew, and grew, and probably Nando the “Accountant” in the years lost touch with the figures, despite his own Calcolo celere, a serious booklet on a quick way to do calculations (published in Treviso, 1928) ! In 1933, a journalist of the national newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, in an article on Salce, talks of a 6.000 posters figure—but from the records, it would have been many more, maybe the double, at that time. Only after their filing in 70s, under the supervision of Luigi Menegazzi (then Director of the “Bailo” Municipal Museum) it has been discovered the real, surprising figure: 24.580 posters, many more than ever expected.
The Salce Collection Legacy
Having no direct heirs, Nando was more and more worried about his collection’s destiny, while the city was considering him, at the best, only a bizarre maniac. Since the end of the 30s, he thinks to entrust the collection to an Academy of Arts or to an Artists Society; but no final decision is taken, and the years run fast, silently. Gina dies on January, 1962; the 29 December, Nando follows her: the son of Cappiello visit him at death’s door, as an extreme homage. The Nando Salce’s will provide that all the posters have to be given not to Treviso Municipality but to the Public Instruction Ministry, for the use of “schools and academies, preferably local ones and of the Veneto”. A public petition, opened in November of 1963 and subscribed by thousand citizens of Treviso, starts a campaign to maintain in Treviso the Collection, whose size is estimated in 14.000 items. The 7 September, 1968, the Public Instruction Ministry officially entrust the Treviso Municipality of the unique Salce Collection’s care. But for such a forerunner, as Nando Salce the “Accountant” was, the awareness of the importance of his own collection was deep, and of early date. “Since the first articles [on affiches] by Vittorio Pica appeared in the magazine ‘Emporium’ (a fifteen years ago!)—he explains with legitimate pride to Dudovich, in 1910—I begun collecting the Italian artistical réclame–posters; partly with the help of Pica, and mostly through a great constancy of mine, I succeeded in having a collection that I believe as important as the most important abroad; in Italy, as far as I know, there aren’t such”. And even more significant, the Nando’s answer to a proposal of purchase, some months before the beginning of WWII, reveals his generous worries. “I am really embarrassed—he says in the letter— by the request of ‘selling’ my collection, that I will briefly describe separately. I think that in 44 years it costed to me a lot more than 50.000 lire, but I am much more concerned with its destiny than with any revenue: will it ever remain in Italy? Will it be continued? Will it be preserved and put to the public disposal?”.
Nearly 100 years after the purchase of first poster by the young “Accountant”, the hope is that the extraordinary legacy of Salce Collection (whose potential seems still somewhat underrated) soon might be ultimately recognized in contemporary cultural life.
It is always a very big surprise, when someone realizes that in Treviso there is an extraordinary archive of near 25.000 Italian affiches. The “Bailo” Municipal Museum of this nice, provincial town of Veneto, some forty km North of Venice, actually holds the Salce Collection, the largest of Italian posters. From the half of last century (the oldest, a small Avviso d’Operafor the representation of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia at The La Fenice Grand Theater of Venice in 1844) to the early 60s of our century (where is a young Vignelli’s poster, too), you may come across 350 Boccasile, 300 Cappiello, 600 Dudovich, 400 Mauzan, and so on; in a word: the history of the Italian poster, as seen from the personal taste of an original collector. Therefore, who was Mr Salce, the collector?
A Life For Posters
Ferdinando Salce (better known as “Nando”) was born in Treviso, the 22 of March, 1877; his father Giovanni is a well–to–do textile dealer, with a retail store in Borgo Mazzini 3, not far from the fine family house with a huge attic—the Nando’s collection archive for decades—, near Porta San Tommaso. Destined to follow in father’s commercial footsteps, Nando studies with good results Accounting at the Treviso Technical Commercial Institute: all his life, he will be called “Ragionier” Salce, the “Accountant”. At the age of 17, with two friends, he takes a trip in bicycle in Austria and Switzerland without the family’s knowing—but his aunt from Vicenza sends to Treviso letters previously written by Nando, to cover the escape. And immediately after, in 1895, he starts the collection that will keep him busy all life: fascinated by the poster of the Auer Gas–Lamp’s smiling lady of Mataloni, he buys it for one lira and brings home, or better to its huge attic his first affiche. At the age of 22, Nando marries the one–year–younger Regina (“Gina”) Gregory, daughter of Vincenzo Gregory, a well–to–do Engineer; they will not have children, but Gina too will soon love posters: all their life will be of happiness and prosperity. The Salce’s early and meticulous interest for the affiche, irregularly systematic as only can be a true individual passion (he gathers also ugly items, for documentary purposes, not only things of his liking), grows voraciously and the taste is refined—as it may be followed through his epistolary. In 1898, the “La Bicicletta” magazine is requested by him of a “cartellone illustrato” (advertising poster) by the restless painter Aleardo Villa, one of the great affichistes of the Ricordi atelier, which the last day of 1906 will die suicide; probably in the same year 1898, he begin to ask posters to the E. & A. Mele & Ci–Magazzini Italiani: an extraordinary source of wonderful posters. In 1902, Oreste Cappiello provides to Nando many posters of his brother Leonetto Cappiello; in 1910, the “Accountant” starts a regular correspondence with Codognato, Dudovich, Metlicovitz, among others. The collection grew, and grew, and grew, and probably Nando the “Accountant” in the years lost touch with the figures, despite his own Calcolo celere, a serious booklet on a quick way to do calculations (published in Treviso, 1928) ! In 1933, a journalist of the national newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, in an article on Salce, talks of a 6.000 posters figure—but from the records, it would have been many more, maybe the double, at that time. Only after their filing in 70s, under the supervision of Luigi Menegazzi (then Director of the “Bailo” Municipal Museum) it has been discovered the real, surprising figure: 24.580 posters, many more than ever expected.
The Salce Collection Legacy
Having no direct heirs, Nando was more and more worried about his collection’s destiny, while the city was considering him, at the best, only a bizarre maniac. Since the end of the 30s, he thinks to entrust the collection to an Academy of Arts or to an Artists Society; but no final decision is taken, and the years run fast, silently. Gina dies on January, 1962; the 29 December, Nando follows her: the son of Cappiello visit him at death’s door, as an extreme homage. The Nando Salce’s will provide that all the posters have to be given not to Treviso Municipality but to the Public Instruction Ministry, for the use of “schools and academies, preferably local ones and of the Veneto”. A public petition, opened in November of 1963 and subscribed by thousand citizens of Treviso, starts a campaign to maintain in Treviso the Collection, whose size is estimated in 14.000 items. The 7 September, 1968, the Public Instruction Ministry officially entrust the Treviso Municipality of the unique Salce Collection’s care. But for such a forerunner, as Nando Salce the “Accountant” was, the awareness of the importance of his own collection was deep, and of early date. “Since the first articles [on affiches] by Vittorio Pica appeared in the magazine ‘Emporium’ (a fifteen years ago!)—he explains with legitimate pride to Dudovich, in 1910—I begun collecting the Italian artistical réclame–posters; partly with the help of Pica, and mostly through a great constancy of mine, I succeeded in having a collection that I believe as important as the most important abroad; in Italy, as far as I know, there aren’t such”. And even more significant, the Nando’s answer to a proposal of purchase, some months before the beginning of WWII, reveals his generous worries. “I am really embarrassed—he says in the letter— by the request of ‘selling’ my collection, that I will briefly describe separately. I think that in 44 years it costed to me a lot more than 50.000 lire, but I am much more concerned with its destiny than with any revenue: will it ever remain in Italy? Will it be continued? Will it be preserved and put to the public disposal?”.
Nearly 100 years after the purchase of first poster by the young “Accountant”, the hope is that the extraordinary legacy of Salce Collection (whose potential seems still somewhat underrated) soon might be ultimately recognized in contemporary cultural life.
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