Pietro Martello
with part of his extraordinary collection
of about 700 miniatures, created in over 40 years of activity.

Pietro Martello has spent all his life in the footwear industry. He was born on the Brenta Riviera, near Venice in northern Italy, and became apprenticed to a shoe manufacturer at the age of eight. As soon as he mastered the basic techniques he ran his own business and became an indipendent artisan.  Among his other clients he created shoes also for Mr. Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the well known italian dream cars.
It was during this period that he developed his specialised manual ability in handling the traditional tools of his trade. He began to create the miniature shoes, entirely handsewn, as a hobby. Over the last 40 years Pietro has pursued his hobby of making miniature shoes, starting from small wooden moulds which he carves himself and which he uses to mount the components using the same process as in normal shoemaking. Now at the age of over 60, it is his full-time occupation. He does not want to sell what he creates, nor to repeat any model - although requested hundreds of times - but simply makes them for the joy of creation. This is how he has put together his one of a kind collection, which is at present time composed by over 700 different pieces.

Richard Khoury is a photographer specialized in industry, architecture and art photography. He met Pietro by chance in 1991, while he was taking photos for a book about shoemaking.   At that time Pietro was known for his peculiar activity only locally, and exclusively among shoemakers.
He used to keep his miniatures at home, some of them randomly displayed around, most of them closed into drawers and old shoe boxes. Richard was fascinated by Pietro's tiny masterpieces, so he decided to work on them, out of any consignement, but simply for the joy of creation.