Matteo Lovatti the younger
(Rome 1861 - 1927)
Grandson
of the architect Matteo Lovatti (1770-1849), son of the lawyer Filippo
(born in Rome in 1822 and died on 21 January 1893), younger brother of Innocenzo
(1864-1932), he trained in Rome frequenting the circle of Spanish painters
close to Mariano Fortuny, specializing in genre scenes, portraits
and landscapes.
He exhibited in Rome at the Society of Amateurs and Cultivators of
Fine Arts in 1877, 1879 (Buttero Race at the Circus of Romulus),
1885 (Portrait), and 1886; in 1909 he presented his works to the
Association of Watercolorists (The Vatican; Villa de' Quintili). He
participated in several national and international exhibitions, including
that of Turin in 1880 (on March 14, 1878 in Rome), Milan in 1881,
Rome in 1883 (Modern Life), Turin in 1884, Antwerp and Milan (Sport)
in 1885, and Turin in 1908 (Los Apaches - Paris at Night).
On November 24, 1878, King Umberto I of Savoy returned to Rome after a long journey across the peninsula, during which he had escaped the anarchist Giovanni Passannante's assassination attempt in Naples on November 17. In a famous painting, the then very young Matteo Lovatti captures the moment the Sovereign and his Consort pass through Piazza Esedra, having just arrived from Termini Station. A large, cheering crowd expresses jubilation at their averted danger, waving flags and raising their hats in salute.
The painting is owned by the Presidency of the Italian Republic
e-mail: maurilio@lovatti.eu