Gift from King Vittorio Emanuele III to the Prefect of Ravenna, 1918

Autograph photograph with dedication of His Majesty King Vittorio Emanuele III, donated by him to the Prefect of Ravenna, on the occasion of the King's official visit which took place on 18 May 1918, at the Pinarella training camp, a location just outside Ravenna, where he was able to witness the parade of the military corps and departments of the entire territorial jurisdiction of Ravenna. The frame suitable for containing the photograph is completely handcrafted in walnut wood and was made with the interlocking method of multiple strips applied with great skill to minimize the possibility of bending or detachment between the joints of the wood over time.

The carvings carried out with extreme care and refinement by a master cabinetmaker bear the motto of the Royal House "Fert", as do the Savoy shields and the cymatium with the Royal Crown sculpted in relief from the solid wood with extreme precision, making this frame a work made on exclusive commission from the Royal House making it a true masterpiece of cabinet making. The silver salt photography applied on cardboard appears to have been carried out by Guigoni and Bossi, G.Comoletti succ., suppliers of RealCasa. At the foot is the dedication in black ink: "To Comm.re Crivellari Prefect of Ravenna - Vittorio Emanuele - 1918".

The Commander Dr. Gaetano Crivellari, born in Arezzo on 14 June 1866, was Inspector General of the Central Administration and appointed 2nd class Prefect of the Province of Ravenna on 31 August 1916, a role he held until 25 August 1919. On 16 April 1920 he was appointed Prefect of Palermo and held this position until 10 October 1920. He died in Rome on 21 December of the same year.