Violet
Object number2011.65.54
Artist
Lucille Cantini
(1921 - 2008)
Date1968
MediumColored pencil on paper
Paper; Colored pencil; Graphite; Ink
Credit LineGift of Estate of Virgil Cantini
DescriptionStudy drawing of a violet flower in colored pencil on off-white paper. Circular paper with extended rectangular tab at bottom center (6:00). Drawing depicts bird's-eye close-up view of violet flower on blue, green, and black background. Violet flower has five variegated purple petals with yellow center surrounded by radiating white lines. Reverse is undecorated.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 10.625 x 9.938 x 0.031 in. (27 x 25.2 x 0.1 cm)SignedArtist signature and title at bottom center on extended tab in black ink and graphite pencil, respectively: "Lucille Cantini / Violet".
Historical NotesPart of a collection related to artists Virgil Cantini (b. Roccaraso, Italy 1919, d. Pittsburgh 2009) and his wife Lucille Cantini. Lucille Kleber Cantini was born on October 20, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Carnegie Technical Institute (now Carnegie Mellon University) and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. This is where she met her husband, Virgil David Cantini. They graduated in 1942 and married in 1946 after Virgil returned from military service. They had two daughters, Lisa and Marie. In the late 1940s, Lucille taught art at East McKeesport High School. By 1954, She was fabricating enamel jewelry to supplement the family income, and, by the late 1950s, she expanded her practice, creating enamel bowls, boxes, and plaques. Her works were largely abstract, and she was proficient in working with ceramics, metal, and enamel. Like her husband, Lucille created through her lifetime, and they shared a studio space at 205 S. Craig Street in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. She was a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and won numerous prizes from the organization. She had a one-woman show in 1964 at the Arts & Crafts Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. She passed away on April 24, 2008.Label TextStudies from "Vine of Knowledge" 1968 Pencil on paper These flower sketches were for a commission from the Ligonier Valley Library. The completed work, a garden wall memorial to Jennie King Mellon, includes 26 flowers, one for each letter of the alphabet. Each drawing is signed by Lucille, but the completed work was credited only to Virgil [Cantini]. [Label from "Earth and Ether: The Art of Lucille and Virgil Cantini", University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh: October 16, 2025 - January 30, 2026.]
Related person
Jennie King Mellon
Related institution
Ligonier Valley Library
Related person
Virgil David Cantini
(Italian, 1919 - 2009)
Related institution
Carnegie Mellon University
Terms
On View
Not on view
