Henrietta Tower (''Henriette'', ''Enrichetta'') (26 October 1856 – 3 April 1933) was born in

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

. While living in Rome, she and her husband, George Washington Wurts, created an art collection containing approximately 3,000 works that was donated on her death in 1933 to Benito Mussolini. The art collection remains in Rome, and their villa and gardens are open to the public.

Early life

Henrietta Tower was the last of seven children of Charlemagne Tower, a lawyer, businessman, and graduate of Harvard University. On her father’s death in 1889, Tower inherited a vast fortune from his business ventures which included a coal mining operation in Pennsylvania and an iron production plant in Minnesota. This inheritance made her one of the wealthiest women in the United States at that time.

Life in Rome and art collection

Tower married George Washington Wurts in 1898. In 1902 the couple moved to Rome and bought a villa, known as the Villa Sciarra-Wurts, which they spent the rest of their lives renovating and decorating with a variety of art works. They frequently entertained the wealthy, ambassadors, and aristocratic members of society. After her husband’s death in 1928 Tower gave their villa to the city of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on the condition that the vast garden be turned into a public park and cultural center in honor of the German poet,

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...

. (Included with this was a gift of $50,000 to maintain the property.) The park so dedicated was opened in 1932 and a year later, in 1933, Tower died in Lucerne, Switzerland and is buried in the Protestant cemetery in Rome. Through her will Tower bequeathed the vast art collection that she and her husband had expanded over several decades to Benito Mussolini, on the condition that it be kept in a museum. The collection was given to Rome's

Museo nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia The Museo Nazionale del Palazzo di Venezia is a state museum in Rome (Italy), housed in the palace of the same name together with the important Library of Archaeology and Art History. Collections The Museum preserves paintings by artists such ...

where it has remained since (although several works remain in the Villa Sciarra-Wurts). Included in the collection are over 3,000 items including: ceramics, textiles, tapestries, paintings (including works by

Ottaviano Nelli Ottaviano Nelli (1375–1444?) was an Italian painter of the early Quattrocento. Nelli primarily painted frescoes, but also panel paintings. He had several pupils and two painters were influenced by him. Biography He was born in Gubbio in Umb ...

Vincenzo Pagani Vincenzo Pagani (c. 1490–1568) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period. Biography Vincenzo was born at Monterubbiano, near Fermo in the region of March to a father who served as a magistrate, but also had an affinity for painting. He ...

, John Russell,

Paolo Veneziano Paolo Veneziano, also Veneziano Paolo or Paolo da Venezia (active by 1333, died after 1358) was a 14th-century painter from Venice, the "founder of the Venetian School" of painting, probably active between about 1321 and 1362.

, and

Michael Wolgemut Michael Wolgemut (formerly spelt ''Wohlgemuth''; 143430 November 1519) was a German painter and printmaker, who ran a workshop in Nuremberg. He is best known as having taught the young Albrecht Dürer. The importance of Wolgemut as an artist res ...

), about 80 wooden sculptures, various works from China and Japan, and a significant number of works from Russia including 33 late 19th-century women's hats. Tower’s will also established ''The Henrietta Tower Wurts Foundation'' in Philadelphia which in addition to funding Meals on Wheels also provides small grants to “organizations serving disadvantaged children and youth and/or the elderly”.

References

External links

* Official sit
Museo Nazionale Piazza Venezia
* Official sit
Henrietta Tower Wurts Foundation

Early life

Life in Rome and art collection

References

External links

See also