The bird sculpture, below, by Savino Ciconi of Plum and a portrait by his great-uncle Ferdinando Ciconi, left, who lived in the 19th century, will be exhibited side by side beginning Saturday at the Saxonburg Area Artists Cooperative gallery.

SAXONBURG — The Saxonburg Area Artists Cooperative gallery will feature the work of Savino Ciconi of Plum alongside that of his great-uncle, the late Ferdinando Ciconi, an Italian portrait artist from the 19th century, starting Saturday.

The Ferdinando Ciconi works are presumed to be circa 1860.

All of the works on exhibit are original and on public display for the first time.

In 1954, at age 6, Savino and his family immigrated to the United States, despite thriving family businesses in Italy, because Savnio's mother's family lived in the U.S.

Savino was raised in Brackenridge, where he attended Saint Joseph Elementary School and graduated from Har-Brack High School in 1967. He went on to earn a bachelor's in art education at Youngstown State University in 1972.

He taught art in the Plum School District for 35 years. He was department head for 10 of those years and retired in 2007.

He started carving wood in 1980, and his realistic duck replicas stand in stark contrast to the abstract nature of his paintings.

The other end of the spectrum gives viewers a look into Italian painting of the 1860s.

The works of Ferdinando Ciconi are classic examples of the traditional court painters.

Ferdinando was born in 1831 in Italy and attended seminary school in Ascoli Piceno where he first showed talent in his drawings of buildings and assessment of space within those buildings. He worked on architectural drawings but soon started sketching cherubs.

After seminary school, he went on to formally learn painting and drawing. After his schooling, he began to be commissioned and is responsible for some of the ornate ceilings in local theaters in Ascoli of that time as well as the church of Santa Felicita in Colli Del Tronto.Ferdinando was a classical painter who used oil paints to create images in romantic style.His themes vary from historical to religious, and he is thought of as one of the last ancient painters.Ferdinando died at the age of 55 in 1886. Upon his death his widow sold most of his work, and although it exists in a wide range of museums, galleries and private collections, the extensive distribution and lack of records leave many of the locations unknown.Several pieces were split among family members, and the pieces owned by Savino are four round portraits of famous painters, a sketch of knees and a painting of a man in prison.After the opening, the exhibit will continue through Aug. 9.

<B>WHO: </B>Saxonburg Area Artists Cooperative<B>WHAT:</B> The Ciconi/Ciconi Show: A Two Man Show from 1860 to Present Day<B>WHEN: </B>Saturday through Aug. 9. An opening reception will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and feature steel drummer and fire eater Lee Ramsey.<B>WHERE: </B>SAAC gallery, 215 W. Main St. rear, Saxonburg

Ferdinando Ciconi