Charles Marochetti
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Baron Pietro Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti (14 January 1805 – 29 December 1867) was an Italian-born French sculptor who worked in France, Italy and Britain. He completed many public sculptures, often in a neo-classical style, plus reliefs, memorials and large equestrian monuments in bronze and marble. In 1848, Marochetti settled in England, where he received commissions from Queen Victoria. Marochetti received great recognition during his lifetime, being made a baron in Italy and was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government.


Biography


Early life

Carlo Marochetti was born in Turin, where his father, Vincenzo, a former priest, was a local government official and professor of eloquence at Turin University, but after the family moved to Paris, Carlo was brought up as a French citizen. He studied at the
Lycée Napoléon In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
and then studied sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where his teachers were
François Joseph Bosio Baron François Joseph Bosio (19 March 1768 – 29 July 1845) was a Monegasque sculptor who achieved distinction in the first quarter of the nineteenth century with his work for Napoleon and for the restored French monarchy. Biography Born in ...
and
Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was given title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the French R ...
. At the
Paris Salon The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...
in 1827 he exhibited a marble statue of ''A Young Girl playing with a Dog'' which won a silver medal. Between 1822 and 1830 Marochetti frequently spent long periods in Rome where his mother was resident and where he collaborated with
Fran̤ois-Joseph Duret Fran̤oise-Joseph Duret (12 November 1729 Р7 August 1816) was a French sculptor. He was the father and teacher of Francisque Joseph Duret. Born at Valenciennes, the son of Charles Durez, of Spanish origin, Duret was prince of the Academy ...
and
Antoine Étex Antoine Étex (March 20, 1808 ParisJuly 14, 1888 Chaville) was a French sculptor, painter and architect. Biography He first exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1833, his work including a reproduction in marble of his ''Death of Hyacinthus'', and th ...
and worked briefly at the studio of the Danish sculptor
Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...
.


Career in France

From 1832 to 1848 Marochetti lived in Paris and largely adopted a neo-classical Romantic style of sculpture. He married Camille de Maussion in 1835 and together they had two sons and a daughter. In Paris, Marochetti received two significant commissions. One was for a relief panel of the
Battle of Jemappes The Battle of Jemappes (6 November 1792) took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium), near Mons during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. One of the first major off ...
on the
Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...
and the other for a large marble statue group, the ''Elevation of Mary Magdalene'' for the altar of the Church of La Madeleine. He delayed completing the altar group to create a monumental equestrian statue of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy which he donated to the city of Turin. The king of Sardinia, Charles Albert rewarded Marochetti for his gift by making him a baron of the kingdom of Italy. Before being sent to Italy the Philibert statue was displayed in the courtyard of the
Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (french: link=no, Palais du Louvre, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Ga ...
during 1838. This effectively established Marochetti's reputation for creating equestrian monuments and led to him being commissioned to create such a statue of Ferdinand, Duke of Orleans, which stood in the courtyard of the Louvre for four years. In 1839 the French government awarded him the Legion of Honour. During 1840 Marochetti was competing to win both the commission for a monument to the Duke of Wellington for the city of Glasgow and for the commission to design the tomb of
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
for
Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...
in Paris. Although he won the Glasgow commission, Marochetti's proposal for the tomb attracted wide-spread public criticism in France and was rejected. When his father died, Marochetti inherited the family château at
Vaux-sur-Seine Vaux-sur-Seine (, literally ''Vaux on Seine'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the ÃŽle-de-France in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Yvelines department An intentional community is a voluntary resident ...
outside of Paris and served as mayor of the town there from 1846. After the fall of the July Monarchy in 1848, and his subsequent failure to win a seat in the National Assembly, Marochetti followed the French king Louis-Philippe into exile in the United Kingdom.


Career in London

Marochetti spent the greater part of his time from 1848 until his death in London. He lived on Onslow Square, and maintained a large studio and his own foundry in the adjacent Sydney Mews. In his studio, Marochetti created an equestrian statue, in plaster, of Richard Coeur de Lion which was displayed at the
Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...
during 1851. A public campaign led to a bronze copy being made which was eventually, in 1860, erected in front of the
Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...
on the orders of
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...
. From his studio and foundry Marochetti, and his workforce, produced numerous statues, memorials and equestrian monuments plus smaller pieces. He also experimented with the use of new materials and the creation of multi-coloured, or polychromic, sculptures. Between 1853 and 1855 Marochetti created three life-size statues, plus busts and garden ornaments, for the
Kingston Lacy Kingston Lacy is a country house and estate near Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England. It was for many years the family seat of the Bankes family who lived nearby at Corfe Castle until its destruction in the English Civil War after its incumbent ow ...
country mansion in Dorset. His equestrian statues included those of Viscount Combermere in Chester and Sir
Mark Cubbon Mark Cubbon may refer to: * Mark Cubbon (army officer), British army officer with the East India Company * Mark Cubbon (administrator), chief executive of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust See also * Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born ...
in Bangalore and for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in Glasgow. Works featuring mourning angels by Marochetti include the monument in
St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...
to Viscounts William and Frederick Melbourne, the Crimean War memorial at the
Haydarpaşa Cemetery Haydarpaşa Cemetery, also known as Haidar Pasha Cemetery, Istanbul, ( tr, Haydarpaşa İngiliz Mezarlığı), located in the Haydarpaşa neighborhood of Üsküdar district in the Asian part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a burial ground established init ...
in Istanbul, dating from 1856–58, and his ''Angel of the Resurrection'' for the Cawnpore memorial in India from 1862-65. From 1864 Marochetti collaborated with
Sir Edwin Landseer Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (7 March 1802 – 1 October 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. However, his best-known works are the lion sculptures at the bas ...
on the four bronze lions to be placed at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, and cast them at his Sydney Mews foundry. He experimented in using coloured marble following the work of John Gibson and a coloured statuette of Queen Victoria was exhibited at a London studio but is now lost. Not all of Marochetti's designs were so successful. His proposed design for the tomb of the Duke of Wellington was rejected. Marochetti's equestrian monument to
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
for the 1855 New York Exhibition was destroyed by fire. In the 1860s he championed a scheme for a set of statues celebrating British engineers to be erected in the churchyard of St Margaret's, Westminster. The scheme was rejected but three of the statues, of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Robert Stephenson and Joseph Locke were erected separately elsewhere. His monumental statue of
Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
in Parliament Square was melted down and the metal used for the smaller model of Peel by Matthew Noble which replaced it. With the support of the exiled Louis-Philippe of France, Marochetti had first met Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1849 and subsequently received a number of royal commissions. Marochetti's first royal commission in England was for a marble portrait bust of Prince Albert in 1849, which was commercially reproduced in Parian ware by the Mintons company in 1862. That year Queen Victoria commissioned Marochetti to produce a portrait bust of herself as a birthday gift for Prince Albert and that too was reproduced by Mintons for the retail market. Rather than a crown, he depicted her wearing a head piece of various flowers, including roses and shamrocks, to represent the nations of the United Kingdom. Marochetti designed Victoria's memorial to Princess Elizabeth and a bust of Prince Albert at
Newport Minster Sts Thomas Minster, Newport Minster or The Minster Church of Sts Thomas, until 2008 Sts Thomas Church, is civically recognised as the main Anglican church on the Isle of Wight. Unusually, it is dedicated to both Thomas Becket and Thomas the Apos ...
on the Isle of Wight. He also created the marble recumbent effigies for the tomb of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore in Windsor Great Park. He was commissioned to make the seated figure of Albert for the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. However the first version was rejected by the architect of the monument, Sir George Gilbert Scott, and Marochetti died before a satisfactory second version could be completed. He was elected an associate of the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
1861 and a full academician in 1866. Marochetti died, suddenly, at
Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is home to many of the city's wealthiest residents. Passy was a commune on the outskirts of Paris. In 1658, hot springs were discovered around whic ...
in Paris and was buried at the Vaux-sur-Seine cemetery.


Selected public works


1830-1839


1840-1849


1850-1859


1860 and later


Other works

* Seated statue in marble of Sir
Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, 1st Baronet Jejeebhoy of Bombay CMG (15 July 1783 – 14 April 1859), also spelt Jeejeebhoy or Jeejebhoy, was an Indian-Parsi merchant and philanthropist. He made a huge fortune in cotton and the opium trade with Ch ...
, 1857, in the Asiatic Society Library, Mumbai Town Hall. Two versions in bronze of the same design, at the entrance to the JJ Institute and on Narriman Road, are also known. * Memorial, in marble and black stone, to ''Sixteen Officers of the Engineers of 1857-58'', c. 1862, in
St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata St. Paul's Cathedral is a Church of North India (CNI) cathedral of Anglican background in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, noted for its Gothic architecture and dedicated to Paul the Apostle. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. The corne ...
. The memorial has a central inscription listing the names of British officers killed in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 with a surround containing their portraits in carved relief above a panel depicting the
Siege of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's Army) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief att ...
. * Bust of Queen Victoria, Haddo House, Scotland * East Devonshire Regiment Crimean War memorial,
Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...
* Memorial plaque, with portrait medallion, to Prince Albert,
Sts Thomas Minster Sts Thomas Minster, Newport Minster or The Minster Church of Sts Thomas, until 2008 Sts Thomas Church, is civically recognised as the main Anglican church on the Isle of Wight. Unusually, it is dedicated to both Thomas Becket and Thomas the Apost ...
, Newport, Isle of Wight * Monument to Princess Elizabeth, 1635-1650, Sts Thomas Minster, Newport, Isle of Wight, 1856 * Tomb of Lady Margaret Leveson Gower, Church of St Mary Magdalene, Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire, c. 1858 * Statue of St Michael, Parish Church of Champmotteux, Essonne * Statue of General Henri Gatien Bertrand, 1773-1844, at Châteauroux,
Indre Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...
, France


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marochetti, Carlo 1805 births 1867 deaths 19th-century French sculptors 19th-century Italian male artists École des Beaux-Arts alumni Artists from Paris Artists from Turin Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Italian expatriates in France Italian expatriates in the United Kingdom Italian male sculptors Lycée Henri-IV alumni Pupils of Antoine-Jean Gros Royal Academicians