Carlo Bugatti

"brother, Rembrandt, and a sister, Deanice. His parents later moved from Milan to Paris, and in both cities their houses were frequented by artists. A few of their names will suffice to show the kind of atmosphere in which the young Ettore grew up and which had so much influence upon him. Among them were Giacomo Puccini and Leoncavallo; Ricordi, the music publisher; Lillica, who was the librettist of most of Puccini’s operas; Arturo Rietti, well known for his pastels; the sculptors Prince Paul ‘Troubetzkoy, De Grandi and Ercole Rosa (Rembrandt's godfather); Giovanni Segantini, well known for his paintings of snow landscapes, whomar- ried Carlo Bugatti’s sister; and finally, when he was in Paris; Leo Tolstoy, whose philosophy left a lasting impression on the family."

"Carlo Bugatti and his environment had a great influence on his two sons, especially on Ettore, who learned from him to regard art as a flowering of one’s personality and not as a means of earning money. Ettore also learned that artistic effort is of no use unless one is gifted, and that everything is justifiable in an artist except mediocrity. This was the cause of his change of ambition quite early in life."