Photo By Kristina Higgins | Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Director, Samuel Cox, U.S. Navy Rear Adm....... read more read more
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When retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Samuel Cox, the Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, attended an event at the Japanese Embassy, he didn’t think it would turn into an artwork donation. At that event, he met Captain Marco Bagni, the Italian Naval Attache at the time. In a follow-up e-mail, Captain Bagni proposed a donation to mark the 250th birthday of the US Navy and the special relationship between the two countries. The donation from retired Italian Navy Rear Admiral Paolo Bembo, who also serves as the President of the Association of Italian Naval Painters, was a painting by an Italian combat artist.
The painting visually documents the meeting of Italian Training Ship Amerigo Vespucci and USS George H W Bush. The event took place on Jan. 9, 2022, after a similar encounter between Vespucci and USS Independence in 1962. During the initial meeting the captain of USS Independence radioed the Italians to tell them “You are the most beautiful ship in the world.” During the second meeting, the captain of USS Bush messaged “After sixty years, you are still the most beautiful ship in the world!”
“When I look at the painting, I see two things - the close alliance between the U.S. Navy and the Italian Navy that has existed for over 80 years,“ said Naval History and Heritage Command Director Sam J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). “The second is the bond
between Sailors of all nations across the centuries, exemplified by the Amerigo Vespucci, designed to look like the largest warships of the 18th Century, and the USS George H.W. Bush, one of the largest warships of the 21st Century.”
The event Thursday marked the official acceptance of the painting into the Navy Art Collection. Both the donor, Bembo, and the artist Professor Lorenzo Mariotti were on hand. The artist served on Amerigo Vespucci, making him extraordinarily qualified to paint the ship. Other honored guests in attendance were VADM Jablon and RADM Dickinson. As part of the Navy Art Collection, this painting will serve as a reminder to the enduring friendship between the United States and Italy as well as a celebration of the establishment of the US Navy 250 years ago.
When Professor Lorenzo Mariotti was serving onboard ITS Amerigo Vespucci, little did he know that he would be painting the ship along with USS George H W Bush and presenting it to the US Navy many years later. He earned his PhD in civil engineering after studying classical antiquity but has always been interested in painting. He produces oil paintings and watercolors and had his first solo exhibition in 2009.
Professor Mariotti is part of a long tradition both in Italy and the United States of artists using their experience and talents to visually document the past and present of the Navy. The Navy Art Branch within NHHC employs two civilian combat artists, Morgan Wilbur and Doug Rowe, who travel to shore installation, out with the fleet, or research historical events to faithfully depict the service of United States naval forces for the enlightenment and enrichment of all people.
“It has been fascinating to learn the history and traditions of the Navy and bring that to life,” said Rowe. “As an Air Force veteran, the Navy has a depth of which I was previously unaware and working with the fleet has really given me an opportunity to document parts of that rich history.”
This new piece joins a collection of over 20,000 individual pieces of art spanning more than 200 years. The Navy Art Collection, located at the Washington Navy Yard and housed within NHHC, is comprised of artwork including sculptures, paintings, engravings, drawings, and posters. Various pieces of the collection are displayed publicly in staff offices, museums, and online. This latest addition to the collection is currently slated for display in the new National Museum of the U.S. Navy.
The new NMUSN will act as an enduring memorial to honor the service of American Sailors, inspire selfless service, and enhance public understanding of the Navy’s history and heritage. The vision for the new NMUSN is to expand the traditional museum concept to a campus layout that combines the Navy Museum, a high-tech conference center, and retail space with dining options. It is intended to be a self-funded tourist destination that aims to intrigue, inform and inspire generations of visitors.
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.
For more news from NHHC, visit www.history.navy.mil
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2025 08:48 |
| Story ID: | 549650 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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