Statua Ferdinando di Savoia in Piazza Solferino Torino

Alfonso Balzico (October 18, 1825 – February 3, 1901) was an Italian sculptor. He was born in Cava de' Tirreni, near

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

in Italy and died in Rome.

Biography

After completing studies in literature, he began sculpting in wood, then marble, and was then awarded a stipend to study at the Academy of the Arts in Naples. In Naples, he won a silver medal and a further award for his submission of a clay model of '' Procris dying in the Arms of Cephalus'', which he presented to the Provincial Council of

. Another prize was awarded to his bas-relief of ''Angel escorts St Peter out of Prison''. He then went to Rome and finished a ''Flavio Gioia'', ''Return of Dinah and Jacob'', a ''St John the Baptist'', a ''Virgin of the Purity'', and a '' Noli me tangere''. He then traveled to Milan and Florence in 1858 and 1860, where his views turned away from Neoclassicism towards realism and romanticism. He returned to Naples, but his works attracted the attention of

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II ( it, Vittorio Emanuele II; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title o ...

, the King of Italy. He sculpted statues depicting the ''Naive and the Poor''; ''Revenge''; and an ''Owl''. He moved to Turin, where he was commissioned a monument to Massimo d'Azeglio as well as a highly dynamic equestrian monument to Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa, where the Prince attempts to stand up in mid-battle, while his wounded horse falls. He also sculpted a ''Cleopatra'', and helped design coins and medals. He painted several portraits and sculpted busts of the Crown Prince of Portugal, Prince Napoleon, and

Costantino Nigra Costantino, count Nigra (11 June 1828 – 1 July 1907) was an Italian diplomat. Biography Nigra was born at Villa Castelnuovo, in the province of Turin. During the war of 1848 he interrupted his studies to serve as a volunteer against Austria ...

. ''Dizionario degli Artisti Italiani Viventi: pittori, scultori, e Architetti.''
by Angelo de Gubernatis. Tipe dei Successori Le Monnier, 1889, page 28-29. In 1866, he became the sculptor of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

. In 1875, he went to Rome, and in 1900, his statue of

Flavio Gioja Flavio Gioia or Gioja, also known as Ioannes Gira Amalphensis (; 1300 – ?) is reputed to have been an Italian mariner, inventor, and supposedly a marine pilot. He has traditionally been credited with developing the sailor's compass, but this h ...

won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle, Paris, one year before his death.

References

External links

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Art Encyclopedia
1825 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors People from Cava de' Tirreni Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli alumni 19th-century Italian male artists {{Italy-sculptor-stub