Celebration time, all.

It’s hard to find a new Montici mosaic not already in our Society database.

But thanks to Montici collector Jeff Greenberg in Vermont, for the first time in five months we finally have one, and I must say it’s an interesting one..

I like the bold orange colors, and the peculiar lighting — shadows on the golden sand, cast by an off-scene sun, oddly incongruent with the heavy gray horizon. It changes the vibe psychologically. The surreal, one-armed figure stands at attention like a soldier. The pink plume streaming off the head, coupled with the spear, remind me of a Roman centurion. So I think I will give this mosaic the Montici Society ID (MSID) “Centurion Beach Boy.”

We’ve got one piece in our Montici database that closely echoes “Centurion Beach Boy.”

“Water Pump” (MSID) came on the market in Jan. 2018. It’s a rather large work at 14.25 x 8.75 inches. Auctioneer Rago set an estimated price of $2500- $3500, it sold for $4,000 (hammer price). Calderani executed the mosaic and signed it "MADE IN ITALY VIII-1959 CALDERANI-28.”

*Antique American hand water pump .I checked on Google images and found similar hand pumps used in Italy*

Did the two have a common inspiration? Pure speculation, but I can envision Richard Blow rambling around the Italian countryside one day, spying a farm water pump with a stick humorously leaning against it, sparking his artistic imagination in multiple directions. You start with a prosaic water pump, and you end up with a surreal centurion..

Grazie mille, Jeff, from all of us, for the exciting, new addition to our database!

Michael Schmicker

PS: I’ll soon be posting a profile of Jeff, featuring his entertaining art collecting stories; and his perspective on the Montici mosaic market today. Expect it in the next week or so.