Adolfo Wildt and the Bistoletti Monument

Adolfo Wildt is one of the most famous Italian sculptors of the 20th century, known for his sculptural works of great intensity and expressiveness. One of his most important works can be found in Milan's Monumental Cemetery, one of the city's main historic cemeteries.Clearly visible on the right as soon as one enters the Hemicycle, this monument is entitled "The House of Sleep." Two androgynous bronze figures, probably alluding to the brothers to whom the work is dedicated, are suddenly surprised by a mortal torpor. Their limbs are skeletal and elongated, while their heads, reclining on a kind of suspended platform, are veiled by a sash. The plinth on which the two figures sit is made of Biella granite, while the back fifth is made of Boden granite.The monument was commissioned by Milanese engineer Giuseppe Bistoletti for his children Maria and Oreste, who both died at a young age in 1921, within months of each other.The Sleeping House constitutes an effective synthesis of the mature language of Adolfo Wildt, who here creates highly stylized figures with theatrical expressions.