Maria Signorelli

Maria Signorelli (Rome, 17 November 1908 – Rome, 9 July 1992) was an Italian puppet master known for her creations as well as for her sets and costume designs, and valuable collection of puppets.

Biography Maria Signorelli was the first of three daughters born to the radiologist and art collector Angelo Signorelli (1876–1952) and Olga Resnevič (1883–1973), a Latvian physician and writer, translator of Fydor Dostoevsky, and writer of the first biography about Italian actor Eleonora Duse.

Maria grew up in a stimulating family environment, in close contact with the artists and patrons of theater and literature who often frequented the family home in Rome. Signorelli's father made a habit of helping young artists, taking care of them for free and purchasing or subsidizing their works. He was also one of the main financiers of the Teatro dei Piccoli, led by Vittorio Podrecca, who specialized in the use of puppets and who later became a collaborator protecting Maria Signorelli's valuable puppet collection.

Education After completing her classical studies, Maria enrolled in the Accademia di Belle Arti of Rome and began to attend the scenography studio of the Royal Theater, directed at that time by Nicola Benois. The puppeteer game (1975)

Homemade musical instruments (1977)

History and technique of the shadow theater (1981)