Signed photograph of the legendary conductor, inscribed to the important tenor Aureliano Pertile. He is shown resting his head on his right hand and has penned at the foot in red ink (translated from the Italian): "To my dearest Pertile—to a wonderful artist—to an impeccable singer—to the faithful interpreter of so many different operas, who can never be praised enough—Arturo Toscanini."  7.5 x 10 inches (19 x 25.4 cm), mounted to 8.5 x 12 inches. Two small stains and creases slightly affecting inscription; areas of slight discoloration to photograph; overall fine. 

Considered one of the most important tenors of the 20th century, Aureliano Pertile was particularly known for his dramatic performances in Verdi and verismo opera, despite a voice that was not particularly suave and even sometimes considered ugly. He had a close relationship with Arturo Toscanini, beginning when he became the leading tenor at La Scala in 1927. Harvey Sachs writes that "Toscanini turned [Pertile] into one of the most subtly communicative vocal artists of his day and chose him to sing leading roles in no fewer than fourteen operas [...] Pertile, for his part, gladly admitted that he owed a great deal to Toscanini." (Harvey Sachs, Toscanini: Musician of Conscience, 2017.)