Raffaello Romanelli

Raffaello Romanelli (Florence, 1856 - 1928) was an Italian sculptor, son of the sculptor Pasquale Romanelli, and one of the most sought-after makers of commemorative sculpture of his time. He trained at the Florence Academy under Augusto Rivalta and Emilio Zocchi, and his work focused on monuments and busts of prominent figures, with commissions reaching America, Argentina, Austria, Cuba, Russia and several European countries. In 1880 he won a national competition with the sculpture L'Indemoniato che si Getta ai Piedi di Cristo. His later works include the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi in Siena, the monument to Donatello in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the equestrian statue of King Carlo Alberto of Piedmont-Sardinia in Rome, unveiled in 1900, and the bust of Benvenuto Cellini on the Ponte Vecchio. His most prominent commission in Italy was a portrait of Pope Benedict XV in 1914. He worked from two former churches converted into studios in Florence's Oltrarno district. His son Romano also became a sculptor, and the Borgo San Frediano studio remains active, with the portrait tradition carried on by his descendants.