Silvio P. Zoratti Pileated Woodpecker Sculpture

Circa 1962: Silvio Peter Zoratti (1896-1992) was an Italian immigrant who came to America after being released from a WWI German prisoner of war camp. He had been trained as a stone carver in Europe and settled in Ohio, where, in 1923, he took a stonemason position on the Nickel Plate Railroad and worked there until his retirement in 1961. Zoratti did a few folk art stone sculptures for himself starting in 1958, and he began working in wood after his retirement and would continue carving until the 1980s when he stopped because of failing eyesight. Zoratti completed around 300 sculptures and had them displayed outside in his garden and around his tool shed. Because the carvings were kept outdoors and survived the harsh northeastern Ohio winters along Lake Erie, they are often more weathered on the side that faced the oncoming winds. This 18"H x 8"W rendition of a pileated woodpecker impressed "Silvio P. Zoratti 1962" on the bottom is a great example of this natural weathering as its back side retains much of its original varnish, signaling that Zoratti placed this sculpture under the eave of his tool shed. The carving is hand hewn from a single piece of wood and has complex details, including carved wings, talons, tail feathers, and a head realistic enough to show the woodpecker's crest, eyes, and beak and make the bird easily identifiable. Zoratti is now considered a major American folk artist, and the excellent quality of this sculpture is evidence of such high praise.