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AN ITALIAN MARBLE FIGURE OF THE 'SONOF WILLIAM TELL' BY PASQUALE ROMANELLI

Creator: Pasquale Romanelli Romanelli
Offered by: Arté Gallery

Description
The description details a magnificent 19th-century Italian marble sculpture created by Pasquale Romanelli, depicting the son of William Tell kneeling beneath a tree trunk with an apple positioned above his head.

This particular sculpture holds historical significance as it was Romanelli's inaugural piece displayed at exhibitions, earning acclaim and prestigious awards. Notably, it received recognition at the New York Exhibition of 1854 and the 1861 Great Italian Exhibition, coinciding with Italy's Unification in 1860. Its success and reputation were such that it was purchased by King Vittorio Emmanuele II of Italy.

Romanelli's sculptural portrayal of this famous scene from the William Tell legend captures a moment of tension and bravery, exemplified by the son's daring feat. The narrative of the sculpture encapsulates the spirit of heroism and independence associated with the story.

The historical context, along with the artist's early recognition and the sculpture's prestigious awards, solidifies its significance within Romanelli's oeuvre and in the broader artistic narrative of the 19th century.

Signed: Romanelli

Italy, Circa 1860

Dimensions

Height with pedestal: 70.5" (179 cm)
Diameter with pedestal: 24" (61 cm)

Height of sculpture: 41.5" (105 cm)
Diameter of sculpture: 22" (55 cm)

Pasquale Romanelli was born in Florence on May 28 1812. When he was 15 years old he entered the studio runned by Master Sculptor Luigi Pampaloni and later moved to Lorenzo Bartolini’s studio in Borgo San Frediano. Lorenzo Bartolini was a teacher at Accademia in 1837 and suggested the young pupil to attend a proper sculpture training at the Accademia of Belle Arti. Soon he learned to sculpt in marble at such a high level that Bartolini himself did not need to finish his pieces if they have been carved by Pasquale.
In 1840 he got his studio at the San Barnaba Monastry (nearby San Lorenzo church), and in this years he already took part in the political life, sure enough his subjects were connected to his political idea of freedom and independence of Italy. In 1850 Lorenzo Bartolini died: his heirs had to deal with several sculptures uncompleted and sort out how to finish them without distorting either the original project and the Master’s style. As Bartolini was very jealous of his “last touch”, the heirs chose Pasquale Romanelli to complete most of his works, as he was the only assistant that could match the ability of the master. Just to mention some of this works, according to the tradition, the famous sculpture ”La fiducia in Dio” now housed at Hermitage Museum was sculpted by Pasquale Romanelli from an original model by Bartolini, as well as the “Monumento Demidoff” placed in Piazza Demidoff in Florence. Till the end of his life he worked on several commissions, either public monuments as the sculpture Francesco Ferrucci (Portico degli Uffizi) and private ones, mostly sold abroad. He was a renown portraitist and according to the tradition, luxury carriage used to stand for a long time in front of the studio, waiting for their owners (noblemen and rich people from Italy and from Europe) posing for a portrait. He was also appointed to make the bust of Lorenzo Bartolini (1858), housed at Santa Croce Church in Florence. In 1868 he, too, was appointed Professor of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Art of Florence. Among his works we remember The sons of Mrs Whyte, the bust of King Vittorio Emanuele II, the portrait of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. The monument to Vittorio Fossombroni for the Piazza di S. Francesco in Arezzo (1863) and the monument of Count Alessandro Masi for the Certosa of Ferrara (1864). For the Romantic genre produced Paul and Francesca (1860), Ophelia, Joan of Arc, Ruth, Napoleon child (presented at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867), Benjamin Franklin child and The boy Washington (bought by Principe Amedeo of Savoy), Bianca Cappello and Pietro Bonaventuri. He also made the portrait of Bartolini on his sepulcher in the church of Santa Croce. He worked almost until his death on 11 February 1887. His funeral monument in the Cemetery of the Porte Sante was the work of his son Raffaello.

William Tell was a farmer and Swiss folk hero. He literally stands as a symbol of political freedom; there is a bronze statue of him in Uri, a mountain village that is the birthplace of modern Switzerland. As the country's founding father, Tell is both legend and legendary. As the story goes, in 1307, an agent of the Hapsburg duke of Austria placed a Hapsburg hat on a pole and ordered passersby to remove their caps. Tell refused and was then ordered to shoot an apple off his son's head with an arrow at 120 paces or he and his son would both be killed. Tell obliged and succeeded in hitting the apple off his son's head in a single shot.
What happened next kicked off a revolution among the poor, medieval inhabitants and led to an overthrow of capricious foreign rule. The agent asked Tell why he had a second arrow in his jacket, to which Tell replied, "If the first arrow had killed my son, I would have shot the second at you, and I would not have missed."