Compagnia "Liebig"
Catalog Level
Items (Cataloging Focus)
Title Proper/Title Text
Compagnia "Liebig"
Date of Publication/Creation Date
May 30, 1911
Dimensions Description
10 x 15 cm.
Inscription Language
Italian (Language)
Related Built Environment Objects
Descriptive Note Text
This black-and-white photograph depicts the exhibition kiosk of the Compagnia "Liebig" (Liebig Company), as indicated by the caption beneath the image. The dates 1865 and 1911 prominently displayed on the façade suggest this structure was erected to commemorate the company's 46th anniversary.
The kiosk is a striking example of early twentieth-century commercial exhibition architecture, combining Beaux-Arts decorative sensibility with promotional theatricality. The structure is circular or polygonal in plan, featuring illuminated display cases flanking a central bay — a design well-suited to showcasing merchandise to passing visitors. The central panel bears a large allegorical or figurative mural painting, consistent with the period's convention of employing classical imagery to lend prestige to commercial enterprises.
Atop the dome, sculptural figures of bulls or oxen serve as heraldic ornaments — a direct iconographic reference to Liebig's core product, beef extract. A monumental replica of the company's signature product can, rises from the apex of the structure, functioning as both advertisement and architectural finial.
The kiosk was 12 meters high and was designed by V. Van Nieuwenhuyse. In the interior, a diorama showed views of the Liebig South-American plants.
Related Work/Label Identification
This black-and-white photograph was published in Giornale Ufficiale, n° 23, May 30 1911, 359.
Related Archival Material
Current Repository/Geographic Location
Cristina Della Coletta Private Collection (San Diego, USA)
Current Repository Numbers
CDC-MA-GUIL-0001-359-1