Sculptor Alfonso Balzico was born 18 October 1825 outside of Salerno. Training at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, Balzico advanced quickly in skill. in 1852 he won a scholarship for extended study in Rome with a bas relief representation of The Liberation of Saint Peter, but it is clear, with examples such as Margherita executed at the same time, that Balzico was excelling rapidly.
In the late 1850s Balzico paid visits to both Florence and Milan, but following his return to Naples in the early 1860s, Balzico’s acclaim accelerated most rapidly. He died in 1901.
Reference: Paola Ceschi, “BALZICO, Alfonso.” Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani 5 (1963).
Image Reference: Margherita, 1852. Marble. Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome. Web Gallery of Art.