The Brazzi Autograph
Early Signature
One characteristic of Rossano’s signature – no matter what age he happened to be when he signed it – is its near illegibility. If you can read it at first glance, there’s a good chance it isn’t his autograph. If you find yourself squinting at the photo and muttering, “That’s an “n”? Or a “z”?”, you may indeed have the real thing. This first example was signed very early in his career, and addressed “To Norma”, a close family friend. At this stage, his “z”‘s are still legible, but his “n”s tend to look like “u”s, a characteristic that will remain relatively consistent.
What will not remain consistent is his capital “R”. You will see a more flourished ‘R’, as you see here, but he very quickly changed to a more easily formed ‘R’. The slant of his handwriting also will change over time, from a more vertical version, to a more right-slanted one. He reverted back, much later in his career, to a more vertical ‘R’ that was almost a printed version, as opposed to a scripted version.
Another Early Signature
This sample is another barely visible example, but does reconfirm the shape of his capital ‘R’s. We included this one not so much as a prime example of his signature but because of the dedication: “From Uncle Rossano to Pasticca” – and by “pasticca” he meant “polka-dot”. It was his favorite nickname for his nephew, who had a tiny mole.
1949
This is a picture sent by Rossano to his sister during the filming of “Vulcano/Volcano” with Anna Magnani. His comment: “Lunch at the top of a volcano! Kisses, Rossano and Lydia.”
Late 1950’s
By now, he is no longer an underappreciated actor, but an international superstar. Someone must have suggested to him that, befitting his status, he should be implying a schedule so intense that he no longer had the time to form his letters properly. At this point, he still makes his ‘n’s look like ‘u’s, but he has added a few flourishes. His second ‘s’ in ‘Rossano’ now somewhat resembles a ‘j’ or a ‘p’, and he’s no longer making his second ‘z’. So, if your signature reads like “Rispu Brazjs”, you probably have the real thing, even though many aspects of his signature no longer resemble his earlier versions.
Late 1950’s
Another version from the 1950’s. This time it’s more like “Bonjour Brazjs”, but is still his.
1960’s
This autograph is from 1963. The n’s are still u’s, and he’s become “Rossano Brush”, but he’s becoming a little more legible.
Got More Samples?
If you’ve got an autograph sample you’d like to contribute to the autograph sample page, scan it into a “.jpg” format and send it on over – we’ll add it to the list!
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