Prince Oddone of Savoy, Duke of Montferrat (Oddone Eugenio Maria; 11 July 1846 – 22 January 1866) was an Italian

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and member of the Royal House of Savoy. He was the fourth child and third eldest son of King

Victor Emmanuel II of Italy Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di House of Savoy, Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 u ...

and his wife

Adelaide of Austria Adelaide of Austria (Adelheid Franziska Marie Rainera Elisabeth Clotilde; 3 June 1822 – 20 January 1855) was Queen of Sardinia by marriage to Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia, future King of Italy, from 1849 until 1855 when she died as a re ...

Life

Born with a serious

genetic disease A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosome abnormality. Although polygenic disorders are ...

, from the age of two he showed severely debilitating symptoms (

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

and developmental deformity); he was therefore placed on the margins of the court life of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

due to poor health. Endowed with intelligence, resourcefulness and intellectual liveliness, he therefore dedicated himself to studying, taking an interest in his short existence in various subjects, both scientific and artistic. During his brief life, the prince was occupied with the study of art and the acquisition of artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome for the city of Genoa, which remain in the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology (). Other pieces Oddone collected and donated are present at Genoa's Gallery of Modern Art, which is partly named for the prince. Oddone lived the last four years of his life in Genoa. The prince chose Genoa for his residence for its mild climate that benefited his ailing physical condition. As a scholar, the prince had come into contact with leading cultural figures, including the sculptor Santo Varni, who served as his adviser and friend, Tammar Luxoro, and Pasquale Domenico Cambiaso. Oddone died at age 19 at the Royal Palace of Genoa shortly before dawn on 22 January 1866.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* "Odone of Savoy 1846-1866. Collections of a prince for Genoa", Mazzotta, Milan, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oddone, Duke of Montferrat, Prince 1866 deaths 1846 births 19th-century Italian people Burials at the Basilica of Superga Dukes of Montferrat Nobility from Turin Italian philanthropists Princes in Italy Nobility from Genoa Princes of Savoy Italian royalty and nobility with disabilities 19th-century Italian nobility Children of Victor Emmanuel II Sons of kings