Born in Milan, he studied and worked in Rome establishing an international reputation for his figurative work and ‘fancy’ pieces in white marble.

A good example of his work is The Nubian Slave, in the Kibble Palace in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens (c. 1850). The sculpture was bequeathed to Glasgow Museums by William Colvin, in 1881.

The Nubian Slave is a copy of an earlier work, of 1858, which is now in a private collection, and features four relief panels on its pedestal depicting slavery.

The statue and pedestal were cleaned as part of the refurbishment of the Kibble Palace in 2005-7.

Sources:

• Kibble Palace Glasgow Botanic Gardens, leaflet (n.d.);
• McKenzie (1999) (ill.);
• McKenzie (2002) , p. 20 (ill.);
• Nisbet (biog: Antonio Rossetti), in McKenzie (2002) , p. 497;
• Stevenson (n.d.);