Cultivated in Carrara: sculptor Pietro Lazzarini was born 5 January 1842 in the city renowned for its luminous quarried marble. Lazzarini’s family history was ensconced in stonework: not only did he descend from a family whose marble workshop dated back to the 17th century, but his brother, Giuseppe, was also a noted sculptor.
Lazzarini won a government scholarship to study in Florence with a bas relief depiction of Evander Retrieving the Body of Pallas. Returning to Carrara following the completion of his studies, Lazzarini plunged into a series of sculptural works that included a version of Leda and Bacchus for the Accademia Carrara. As his acclaim grew, Lazzarini created compositions for increasingly international clientele. In the closing decades of the 19th century, for example, he contributed designs for the five auxiliary sculptures, including representations of War, Peace, Abundance, Industry, and Victory, respectively, to adorn the Soldiers’ National Monument in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He also exhibited a noted piece entitled Passatempo at the 1881 National Exhibition in Milan. He continued to sculpt and also took up teaching as the century turned, continuing both until just before his demise in the late 1910s.
Early 20th century photograph of Pietro Lazzarini’s rood screen, Saint Patrick Cathedral, Armagh, Ireland.
War (left) and History (right), as depicted at the base of the Soldiers’ National Monument, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, dedicated 1869.
Victory, as depicted at the summit of the Soldiers’ National Monument, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, dedicated 1869.
Young Girl Seated, date unknown. Private Collection.