Achille Simonetti (1838–1900) was a sculptor in Australia. He undertook many important commissions.

Early life

Simonetti was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy, the son of a sculptor.

Career

In 1871

James O'Quinn James Quinn, also known as James O'Quinn (17 March 1819 – 18 August 1881 ), was an Irish-Australian prelate of the Catholic Church and the first bishop of the Diocese of Brisbane. Early life Quinn was born at Rathbane (or Athy), Coun ...

Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Brisbane and covering the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Part of the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical ...

, persuaded Simonetti to immigrate to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. By 1874 he moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

establishing a studio in Balmain.

Later life

Simonetti died after a two-week illness on 23 March 1900 at his residence and studio in Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales. He was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Rookwood Cemetery. At the time of his death, he was designing on a statue of the late

Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

Thomas Joseph Byrnes Thomas Joseph Byrnes (11 November 1860 – 27 September 1898) was Premier of Queensland from April 1898 until his death in September of the same year, having previously served in several ministerial positions in his parliamentary career.Rosemar ...

. Although there was a proposal that Simonetti's former pupil James White might continue the work, the commission was given to Melbourne sculptor Bertram Mackennal who completed the status in 1902. It was placed at the corner of Queen, Wickham, Ann and Boundary Streets in Brisbane (which was later redeveloped to create

Centenary Place Centenary Place is a heritage-listed park at 85 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is also known by some as Centenary Park even though this is not the name it was given at the ceremonial dedication. I ...

Significant works

* 1892: Lifesize statue of the late James O'Quinn for St Stephen's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Brisbane * 1897: Statue of

Arthur Phillip Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 unti ...

, first

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

, in Sydney

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonetti, Achille (sculptor) 19th-century Australian sculptors 1838 births 1900 deaths Burials at Rookwood Cemetery Australian Roman Catholics