Throughout his life, Moretti's love for classicism found its natural outlet in marble sculptures of religious themes. First in Siena, under the guidance of Tito Serocchi, and later at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, Moretti learned to carve marble directly with hammer and chisel, working from a sketch to achieve an "intimacy with the stone". He would then use this technique when carving his Head of Christ in Birmingham in 1904.
G. Moretti, Head of Christ, 1904. Courtesy of Alabama Public Library, Archives Department. Moretti considered this to be his personal magnum opus and carved the bust by hand from Alabama marble. It is now on display at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.
G. Moretti, Madonna Enthroned, 1920s. Courtesy of Alabama Public Library, Archives Department.
G. Moretti, I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life, 1930s. Courtesy of Alabama Public Library, Archives Department.
G. Moretti, Angel, date unknown. Courtesy of Alabama Public Library, Archives Department.
Moretti carved a few angels and angel-like figures throughout his life. One of these would later be adorning his tombstone in Sanremo, Italy.
G. Moretti, Benedicite, 1920s. Courtesy of Alabama PublicLibrary, Archives Department.
