Filippo Sgarlata

Italian sculptor and medalist Filippo Sgarlata was born in Tunis in 1901 and began his study at the L’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo at the suggestion of Francesco Messina in 1918 when he passed the entrance exam with honors. He moved to Roma in 1919 and attended the art academy and the school for medalists. From 1926-32 Sgarlata lived in the United States, but after returning to Italy became a medalist and a professor for sculpturing in Palermo and San Luca. He also created some works in line with Fascist ideology during Mussolini’s dictatorship. However, he soon gained recognition again and exhibited at important exhibitions in Europe (Biennale Venedig, Roma, Bruxelles, London, Barcelona and Madrid). In 1961 he created the Marian Gate of the Palermo Cathedral.

Sgarlata received an Honorable Mention at the 1948 London Olympics for his medals La Caccia and Il Disco in the category Sculpture, Medals and Plaques, and for his bronze statuette La Pesca in the category Sculpture, Statues. Thus, he was the only artist with two Honorable Mentions at one Olympics in different categories. La Pesca, mostly called Pescatore con giacchio (Fisherman with Casting Net) dates from 1942 and is 32 cm high including a marble base. With the cast-bronze medallion La caccia al cinghiale (Boar Hunt) from 1934, Sgarlata also won a gold medal at an international exhibition in Madrid in 1951. It bears the inscription VENATOR IMPAVIDUS (The Fearless Hunter). It has a diameter of 200 mm, embossed in bronze, silver and gold of 71 mm.

The second cast-bronze plaque appears under the titles Discobolo Lancio del Disco or just Il Disco (Discus Thrower or The Discus) and was created in 1947. The model could have been the Polish Olympic champion Halina Konopacka, who frequently wore a beret in competition. The fourth work submitted, a sculpture, is called Hawking in the art catalog, but in Italian sources only La Caccia (The Hunt). Since no sculpture could be identified showing falconry, it may well be the statuette Cacciatore con cane e fagiano (Hunter with Dog and Pheasant).