“Frammenti II” — Alberto Cabiddu, 1998, sculptural study in Pietra di Vicenza

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“Frammenti II” — Alberto Cabiddu, 1998, sculptural study in Pietra di Vicenza

Dimensions: H 21 x W 17 x D 17 cm (H 8.27 x W 6.69 x D 6.69 in), base included

“Frammenti II” is a compact, architectonic sculpture by Italian artist Alberto Cabiddu, carved in 1998 from a single block of Pietra di Vicenza. Composed of stepped, interlocking volumes — a tall vertical mass notched by a smaller cubic form at its base — the work reads like several fragments assembled into one composition, though nothing is actually joined. Carved entirely by subtraction from one continuous mass, “Frammenti II” creates the illusion of separate, interlocking parts — the cube at its base appears almost detached from the main body, despite being carved from the same stone. The title points to this optical fragmentation: forms that seem pieced together, part monument, part machine, though none are separate at all.

Cabiddu carves each plane with a sculptor’s patience, letting the stone’s own fossilized texture and warm ochre inclusions do part of the work — the surface is never smoothed for smoothness’s sake, but left slightly porous and sun-baked in character, echoing the material’s centuries-long use on the façades and staircases of the Veneto. The piece is mounted on a fitted walnut base.

At just 21 cm tall, “Frammenti II” is one of Cabiddu’s more intimate works — ideal for a console, shelf, or desk, where its shifting planes and shadow-play reward close viewing. It sits comfortably alongside collections of postmodern and mid-century sculpture, and among admirers of Brâncuși, Hepworth, or Noguchi’s more architectural output.

About Pietra di Vicenza Also known as Nanto stone, Pietra di Vicenza is a soft, warm-toned limestone quarried from the Berici hills near Vicenza. A sedimentary stone flecked with fossils and shells, it has been prized since the Renaissance by architects including Andrea Palladio, Falconetto, and Sansovino for villas, staircases, and garden sculpture across the Veneto. It hardens naturally with age and exposure, gaining character over decades — making it as suited to contemporary sculpture as it was to sixteenth-century architecture.

About the Artist Alberto Cabiddu was born in Geneva in 1966. After early interests in music and drawing, he moved to the province of Vicenza in 1987, where he discovered stone carving and trained informally under sculptor Agostino Gallio and ceramicist Antonio Visentin — though he remains largely self-taught. For decades Cabiddu worked in near-total seclusion, uninterested in exhibiting or selling his sculptures, developing a singular body of work in stone, wood, and clay that bridges Cubist and Constructivist geometry with a personal, almost totemic vocabulary. Only recently have a small number of his pieces become available to collectors.

Frammenti II will be shipped insured overseas in a custom made wooden crate. Cost of transport to the US, Euro 345, is crate included.

Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings. 

Wear consistent with age and use.

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