Raffaello Romanelli
The son of Florentine sculptor Pasquale Romanelli, Raffaello is fore-mostly known for his monuments and portrait busts dedicated to noteworthy figures.
His first official work was the hand of Lorenzo Bartolini in marble, gifted to the Russian Princess Olga Orloff, a family friend of his parents.
As an official Naval school did not yet exist, Pasquale paid a large sum to the captain of a frigate to have his son taken on board and to take care of him while sailing.
He had a rebellious spirit which at times made his professor's task rather difficult but concurrently he was extremely gifted and creative which earned him the silver medal for best in class along with the prize money which accompanied the award.
He finished his schooling in 1880, aged twenty four and in the same year won a national competition for his work L’Indemoniato che si Getta ai Piedi di Cristo – The Possessed Man Throwing Himself at Christ's Feet.
In that same year he produced another work, the statue of the Roman hero, Caio Muzio Scævola; (524AC-480AC circa) which attracted much attention to the young sculptor.
One in particular which characterised these initial years was the portrait busts of Paolo Demidoff, his consort Princess Elena, and three of their children, Elim, Aurora and Anatoly.
Later in 1885 he would be commissioned by Princess Elena to create a memorial monument upon the death of Prince Paolo for the church of Saint Nicholas in Taghil in the Urals, where the gravestones of his ancestors were to be found.
During these early days at the studio, Raffaello also became familiar with many of the locals of the San Frediano borough area, receiving commissions to make portrait busts.
After the death of his father in 1887, Raffaello took over direction of the studio in Borgo San Frediano, whilst his brother continued the administration of the art gallery on Lungarno Acciaiuoli.
In the studio of San Frediano, Raffaello received the illustrious personalities, nobility and gentry of the day seeking to have their portraits made in marble and in bronze.
Winning the competition to make a monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian General and politician who played a large role in the unification of Italy, for Siena had made this need greater.
Following a similar theme, in 1899 Raffaello completed the bronze of the Marquess Cosimo Ridolfi, which stands in Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence.
The Marquess was an agronomist and politician, deemed one of the most learned Tuscan men of his era, heralded as the man responsible for spreading modern agriculture in Italy.
The horse is represented as brought to a standstill and pawing the ground impatiently, while the King is pensive in his General's uniform siting elegantly on its back.
Raffaello's greatest commission in Italy came in 1914 from the Roman Curia requesting a portrait of Pope Benedict XV to adorn the head of diocese.
In 1913 Raffaello won a competition out of 142 competitors to make the monument dedicated to Tsar Alexander II, Russia's Emperor, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland.
Raffaello already had links with Russia and had visited St Petersburg in 1901 to admire the artwork at the Hermitage Museum, notably that of Antonio Canova and Lorenzo Bartolini.
This initiated with a request from Bucharest in 1900 from the Conservative Party who wanted to erect a monument in memory of Barbu Catargiu in Mitropliei Place where he had been assassinated.
He built a close friendship with King Carol I (born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen) and his wife Queen Elizabeth of Wied (widely known by her literary name: Carmen Sylva).
He also received the commission to make several memorial monuments, as the one in the city of Iasi, dedicated to the Prince of Moldavia and Valacchia Alexander Cuza, who had been the founder of the independent Romanian state.
Raffaello was a tireless worker, besides his monuments and portraits he created numerous small and medium-sized works of the most varied subjects, religious, allegorical, everyday imagery and animals.
He worked up until his death in April 1928, passing on the studio to his son Romano Romanelli and his unfinished commissions, the biggest being the monument for Louis Botha, for South Africa.
His traditional training had taught him to seek inspiration from classical sculpture but, similarly to his father Pasquale, the most important characteristic of Raffaello's work is its realism: he sought to portray with great accuracy his subject matter, looking to replicate natural states of being.
Raffaello was primarily a renowned portraitist of great esteem; he knew how to capture the spirit of his subject, their manner, style, expression and character.
His 1900 bust of Princess Marina Borghese named Iris Florentina decorated with the flowers symbolising the city of Florence is one of his most celebrated pieces (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome).
The judging Jury awarded him the Grand Prix, beating the likes of Lucio Fontana, Augusto Rivalta, Achille D'Orsi and Galletti.
