Alessio, 39, recorded occupation as “manufacturer”, arrived in Melbourne
as passengers with his cousins Jacopo Martini ,38 and Alessandro Mulinari
36, on the 320 ton French barque “Confiance”, from Mauritius on Tuesday
21/09/1869.(The Argus Shipping Intelligence 22/09/1869)
On the 6/11/1872 the 851 ton SS Hero left Melbourne for Sydney with T.
Logan as captain, passengers included the Cagli Opera Troupe, William
Lyster and 25 in steerage. The musical engagement in Sydney was centered
around the grand musical festival in commemoration of the completion of
the Intercolonial Telegraph at the Exhibition Building, (the entry gate still
exists in the Botanical Gardens) on Saturday November 9th 1872. The ship
left Sydney on 12/11/1872 at 5.30pm Interestingly amongst the cargo
record was “Martini & Co” 10 casks of plaster and 8 cases of moulds.
In 1861 William Lyster had arrived in Melbourne from the US and for 20
years made it the home of an extensive touring operation with a repertoire
of English, Italian German operas. By offering terms in excess of any
colonial manager could he induced the favourite European troupes to
absent themselves for a 6-12 month period. From 1871 the more profitable
and popular comic and serious opera had alternate place on the lyric stage.
In May 1871 Messrs Cagli & Pompei with an unusually strong body of
singers performed brilliantly at the Princess Theatre and Prince of Wales
theatres in Melbourne.
The SS Hero arrived in Auckland on the 18/11/1872 at 9am. The Auckland
paper noted the 4/12/1872 performance of success of Verdi’s Macbeth at
the Choral Hall with 936 in attendance, the scenery for Lucia di
Lammermoor and other operas was painted and the set pieces arrived with
the troupe from Sydney. We must assume a large number of the steerage
were labourers and artisans involved in this work amongst them Alessio.
The troupe sailed on 5/12/1972 on the “Wellington” at midnight for
Wellington where the performance of Bellini “I Puritani” was a full house,
newspapers took up the appeal for a return visit after the troupe southern
engagements. On 2/01/1873 the “Taranaki” arrived in Dunedin to perform
on the following Monday night in the New Queens Theatre on the east side
of the cutting on Princes Street for a three week engagement.
On the 29/01/1873 “a somewhat sudden death “of statue modeler Alessio
Pellegrini is reported in the Dunedin Star, the place of death is recorded as
Moray Place. Alessio was buried at the Southern Cemetery on the
31/01/1873 Block 15R.Plot21 buried also in the plot is a 1 yr infant Samuel
Robinson. The funeral was attended by “two or three members of the opera
company” assume here Martini & Molinari there was not the expected
musical funeral service as expected by onlookers.
The reported refusal of the clergy to attend to the last sacraments to Alessio
so upset his cousin Martini who resided with him that he was placed under
the care of an asylum. The service was read by Mr Almao of Dunedin.
Alessio Pellegrini death certificate lists his occupation as artisan and cause
of death as “Congestion of the Brain”.
The Opera troupe returned to Melbourne on the 16/02/1872 on board the
“Rangitoto”.
Jacopo Martini was certified by two doctors, “The Certificate That A
Person Is A Lunatic And A Proper Person To Be Detained Under Care And
Treatment” was signed by Drs A Weber and AJ Ferguson on the 8/02/1873
under the Lunatic Act of 1868. Suffering “severe cerebral excitement” in
shouting at the top of his voice and hitting walls with hands and feet,
flushed face, uncontrollable crying, nightmare and inconsolable he was
ordered into the care of John Gillies the Keeper of the Lunatic Asylum at
Dunedin. The doctors assessed “James” at Milton where the proprietor of
where he was staying found him in need of treatment. Alessandro Mulinari
his cousin signed the records of care, James was listed as a 40yrs figurine
maker who had suffered eight mental attacks in Italy, all untreated , the
current event have lasted 9 or 10 days, he was found not to be suicidal or
dangerous.
On 3/04/1873 after nearly two months “James” was released into the care
of Alessandro, the medical officer noting that they were returning to Italy.
This would explain that the Commune of Coreglia Antelminelli could issue
a Death Notice upon request for Alessio.
Arcangela had died within a few months of Alessio leaving Coreglia, leaving
Alceste (6 yrs), Umberto (3 yrs) and Ulisse (less than 1 yr).They were cared
for by their grandmother and upon her death by their uncles who placed
them in a Lucca college.
After their education the brothers had to face compulsory military training
.As the law stood every second son had to serve 3 years in military training.
As orphan, the eldest son was exempt and the second son was obliged to fill
his place. So the eldest son Alceste had to be the bread winner and he
followed his father’s footsteps in the crafts, but the youngest Ulisse, died in
military service during a training not long after Alceste left Coreglia to
migrate to Canada, then Australia where in 1887 he sent for his brother
Umberto. They had chosen Melbourne as they had a cousin Felippo
Martini living there.
City of Fitzroy Rate Books indicate that between 1887 thru 1888 and 1889
Alceste, a modeler lived at 71 Little George St and 13 Little George St. His
neighbours included a painter, bench polisher and plasterer. In the City of
Melbourne Rate Books 1894 1895 33 Kay Street and between 1896 and
1897 both Pellegrinis shared this property .
Alceste went to Canada with friends he met Eugenia in Boston and
returned to Coreglia to marry. Umberto completed military training. On
advice from Alceste in Australia he decided to travel on the SS Sydney
arriving in Melbourne on 27/11/1888. During this period Umberto
travelled through Victoria investigating opportunities
In 1890 along with their cousin Felippo Martini they founded a company
to import and produce ornamental plaster statues and friezes. However,
there was not as great a market for them in Australia as there was in
Europe.
In that period, many statues makers from Barga were going door to door to
sell their statues, as noted by the historian of the time W.H Newman, in
his book on the city of Melbourne. Because of the difficulties in
establishing the business and also because he was homesick, Felippo
returned to Tuscany. Alceste and Umberto did not give in, and in time
their religious sculptures were recognized and won awards, in 1895 in
Tasmania and in 1890 a gold medal in Ballarat.
The Hobart Exhibition reported the The Argus in Nov 1894 on the quality,
variety and number of Victorian exhibitors in the Hobart Exhibition ,of
particular note was the use of paper mache crests, flags and ferns and warm
terra cotta colours of the Victorian Exhibits, including saddlery displays,
cycles, new pneumatic tyres , wagon makers, corsetery, hatters ,tailors,
makers of bird cages, ammunition production, axle makers, timber
benders and in the centre of the court Pellegrini & Co plaster casts and
marble statues, which were to be awarded 1st Class certificates in Statutary.
Copies of the Farnese Hercules foot, heads of Julius Caesar, noting no
slavish adherence to any particular school, the paper reports Homer
whispering to Beethoven, Cicero, Mozart, Marcus Aurelius, Wagner,
Jupiter, Madonna & Child, St Peter and Bacchus. “This cheerful and ever
smiling little Italian is more fortunate than many people outside the trade.
None of his idols have yet been shattered. The following exhibition in
August at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery saw several writers in
the paper offering to contribute to purchase the “Cowering Venus” (Venus
Colonna) from the Pellegrini display. The original artist was Praxiteles a
4th Century BC, the Roman copy was presented to Pope Pius IV in 1783
by Don Filippo Guiseppe Colonna.
Whilst in Hobart the Mercury reports the destruction by fire of their
business on the northern side of Collins where on 8 May 1895 in the
Burlington wooden studios at 92-94 Collins St mid way between Russell &
Stephen St the American Corset Co and Pellegrini & Co burned for 30
minutes after the brigade was called at 12.15 am. The loss was not fully
covered by insurance and fortunately many works were in Hobart.
In the summer of 1895 /1896 the Pellegrinis again exhibited in The
Ballart Exhibition where the papers again wrote fully of new
techniques in non cane education, scientific instruments, art
works, mineral displays artillery pieces and the Pellegini
gallery of marbles and statuettes. They were awarded
with the Australian Industrial Exhibition1895/6
Medal for Statuary.
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