When asked why he chose such an unusual name for his leather bags and accessories company Wanny Di Filippo replied: “Because I am in love with bison: they represent both peace and strength.”
The founder and brand ambassador’s love story with bison blossomed in the late 1960s. Since then Wanny has never stopped collecting works of art, everyday paraphernalia and “sentimental items” dedicated to this animal. The resulting astounding collection is housed in Palazzo Corsini’s Bison Museum in the heart of Florence.
More than 2000 pieces have been cataloged so far: paintings, sculptures, prints, artistically crafted items in precious materials from all over the world; toys, plush animals and pinball machines; wooden rolling pins and bone pipes; nineteenth-century bronzes and magnificent Murano glass; American coins and buckles; Polish stamps, vintage postcards and books in myriad languages; Art Deco ceramics and newspaper pages; Christmas decorations, bottles of vodka, furniture and ties.
Wanny’s obsession is glorious and his extraordinary collection of memorabilia is an ever-evolving temple of true bison-mania.
FRENCH CERAMIC PILLBOX
French ceramic pillbox. Small hand-painted ceramic box with brass hinge and clasp with a Native American profile.
PRESSED CARDBOARD
Pressed cardboard coaster featuring a picture of a bison drinking a beer, Purchased in the US in 2011.
CIGAR HOLDER
Precious cigar holder with bison sculpture, purchased in Paris in 1975. It was built out of a single block of meerschaum, a rare mineral found only in Syria which is particularly suitable for smoking devices as it is retains aroma well.
PORCELAIN SCULPTURE
Painted porcelain sculpture of a bison fighting a cheetah, manufactured in East Germany.
SMALL BISON IN ONYX
Small carved bison in white onyx. On its side turquoise feathers and horns are embedded, in a style typical of Native Americans who consider the white bison a prophetic symbol that brings peace and prosperity, and is associated with the absolute divinity (the Great Spirit).
BISON MEAT
Piece of dried vacuum-packed bison meat, produced by Elk Trails Bison Ranch, USA. Bison meat tastes like beef, but has a lower fat content and is an excellent source of protein.
AMERICAN POSTCARD
American postcard from the early twentieth century with colored black and white photograph.
SILVER BUCKLE
Silver bezel buckle with turquoise bas-relief on mother-of-pearl back.
CD
CD by U2 ‘The best of 1990-2000’, 2002. On the cover, two bison face one another. The Irish band used the bison also in the video and cover of the famous single “One”.
TERRACOTTA BISON
Terracotta bison with legs on a bed of leaves, by Demétre Haralamb Chiparus (1886-1947). The Romanian artist worked and lived in Paris where he became one of the most appreciated Art Deco sculptors.
NEWSPAPER PAGE
Page from ‘The Illustrated London News’ an 1892 English newspaper containing an article on bison extermination and photos of mountains of skulls. The carcasses were used as fertilizer.
ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE
‘A dorso di buffalo’, illustrated magazine in the “Buffalo Bill” series. Printed in 1932 by Nerbini Publishing House in Florence.
