1775229289Code R114 Madonna del Mare e Arredi• Madonna of the Sea (Maternity) Oil on masonite, depicting Maternity. The painting belonged to the chapel on board the transatlantic liner REX and was placed above the altar, embedded in the wood paneling.
o Panel dimensions: 144 × 233 cm (56.5 × 92 in).
o Frame: Contemporary, carved and gilded wood; overall dimensions 134 × 228 cm (52.7 × 90 in).
o Artist: Made by the painter Pietro Gaudenzi in 1930 (signed lower left "Pietro Gaudenzi" and lower right "Pietro Gaudenzi Milano").
• Christ Crucified, cast in patinated bronze zamak, 1929; placed on the altar of the REX Chapel. Signed and dated.
o Dimensions: 52 × 76 cm (Crucifix); 63 × 119.5 cm (Wooden cross, perhaps not contemporary).
o Artist / Foundry: Sculpture by Pietro Piraino (Casteldaccia [PA] 1878 – Rome 1950) for the Laganà Foundry of Naples.
• Harmonium model Crescendo (Patent 283505) Leipzig 1930-1932; located in the REX Chapel inside the fake confessional on the left.
o Dimensions: 136 × 70 × 150 cm.
o Manufacturer / Distributor: Produced by the M. Hörügel company (Leipzig) and sold by Ricordi & Finzi of Milan.
• Set of 2 benches and 2 kneelers. Carved wood, 1929-1931, without the original padding; Already located both on the lower level and on the balcony of the Chapel of the King.
o Dimensions: 305 cm (five-seater bench and kneelers); 152 cm (three-seater bench).
o Manufacture: Officina Vittorio Ducrot (Palermo 1867 – Rome 1942).
LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND HISTORICAL PROVENANCE
Properties for which the process of declaration of particularly important artistic, historical, and demo-ethno-anthropological interest has been initiated, pursuant to art. 10, paragraph 3, letters a) and d) and articles 13 and 14 of Legislative Decree no. 42 of 22 January 2004 (Cultural and Landscape Heritage Code and subsequent amendments and additions).
This is an integrated collection of furnishings originally commissioned and produced for the liturgical chapel of the legendary ocean liner REX—a symbol of 1930s Italy and its naval genius. The collection was remarkably preserved from dispersion thanks to the determination of Don Giuseppe Gabana, Military Chaplain of the "Giulia" Legion of the Trieste Guardia di Finanza. With reckless courage, in 1943 Don Gabana saved the liturgical furnishings from Nazi plunder, claiming ownership on behalf of the Holy See. The entire collection was then transferred to the newly erected chapel of the Trieste Guardia di Finanza and entrusted to the Bishop of Trieste.
The items described are currently held by the Antik Arte & Scienza Gallery in Milan.
The REX ocean liner, built in just 15 months, was launched on August 1, 1931, in the presence of 200,000 people. It was built at the Ansaldo factories in Genoa, founded in 1846 by Camillo di Cavour. In 1930, they employed 13,000 workers and 1,500 office staff. They were the largest and most comprehensive organization in the world, capable of designing and building in their own workshops, using their own materials and labor, the largest and most powerful military and merchant ships, complete with engines and all auxiliary equipment. They also produced electrical machines of all types, steam and electric locomotives, railway carriages, and cutting-edge metallurgical products. They also produced cars, tanks, submarines, artillery, projectiles, torpedo launchers, and precision optical and electronic equipment. It was the largest ship built in Italy before World War II. It accommodated 2,032 passengers and 850 crew members in maximum comfort, with air-conditioned cabins equipped with telephones. On board were two swimming pools, gyms, a cinema and theater, a library with 2,000 volumes, a photography studio, a parish church, spas and physiotherapy, and several shops. The 500-square-meter Baroque-style ballroom featured a 170-square-meter kilim carpet handcrafted in Anatolia. The excellent catering for all classes served 8,700 meals daily, with a 12-course menu in first class. The REX was the first Italian liner to be used for cruises, and was equipped with air conditioning. From 1931 to 1940, it was a protagonist of Italian and international life, carrying the most important passengers of the time: kings, nobles, clergymen, politicians, poets, singers, musicians, and hundreds of thousands of people. On March 16, 1933, the first intercontinental radio broadcast was broadcast from the powerful radio station aboard the Rex, transmitted live to America and Europe. Millions of people listened to Schubert's Ave Maria sung by soprano Rosa Ponselle on the occasion of the Holy Year.
On August 16, 1933, sailing the 3,129 miles from Gibraltar to the New York lightship in 4 days, 13 hours, and 58 minutes, she won the Blue Riband, the coveted trophy for the fastest Atlantic crossing, snatching the record from the German liners "Bremen" and "Europa." She was the only Italian ship to achieve this feat, entering world naval history and reviving the excellence and quality of Italian shipbuilding. Between 1933 and 1940, she enabled approximately 50,000 Jews to leave Europe for the United States, becoming the "Ship of Salvation." Racial laws were suspended on board, and a rabbi and a kosher cook were permanently on duty. On March 6, 2024, the REX crew was inducted into the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide in Milan with a commemorative ceremony at Monte Stella. In May 1940, its transatlantic service ended because the crossings had become dangerous. With Italy's entry into the war, to save it from the bombing of Genoa, it was transferred to the port of Trieste, making its only voyage in the Adriatic, with shielded lights rather than the bright ones dreamed of by director Fellini in the film Amarcord. On September 8, 1944, the REX was moved from the port of Trieste to avoid the British bombing of the city. Under tow between Izola and Koper, it ran aground near the shore. Located by the British RAF, it was attacked by bomber squadrons. The futile attack caused the ship to list and sink on its port side and a violent fire on board that lasted four days. After the war, the wreck remained in the Yugoslavian area and was dismantled to recover the metals it was made of.
