Gaetano Trentanove
Encyclopedia
Gaetano Trentanove was an Italian and American sculptor.
Trentanove was born in Florence
, Italy
, a goldsmith's son. He studied at Florence
and Rome
, became a member of the fine arts academies of Florence
(Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
) and Parma
, and then opened a studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, as a result of friendships made in Paris
His initial contact with Milwaukee was made as a student when William E. Cramer, the editor of the Evening Wisconsin, visited Giovanni Dupre
's studio, where Trentanove was studying. "For the World's Columbian Exposition
of 1893, Trentanove sculpted the Last of the Spartan
s, a large white Carrara marble statue. When the Chicago fair closed, Cramer purchased the Spartan statue for the Layton Art Gallery in Milwaukee." Trentanove thus became a regular visitor to Milwaukee and taught classes at the Layton Art Gallery.
Trentanove subsequently acquired American citizenship and although he spent a portion of every year in Florence
, where the foundry that cast his models in bronze was located, he passed most of the remainder of his life in Milwaukee. In 1897 Trentanove was created a knight of the Crown of Italy. After retirement, he returned to Italy where he died.
Trentanove's public monuments are more easily located than his portrait sculptures, figural sculptures and decorative sculpture.
Trentanove was born in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, a goldsmith's son. He studied at Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, became a member of the fine arts academies of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
(Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
The Accademia di Belle Arti is an art academy in Florence, Italy and it is now the operative branch of the still existing Accademia delle Arti del Disegno that was the first academy of drawing in Europe.-History:The Accademia delle Arti del Disegno The Accademia di Belle Arti ("Academy of Fine...
) and Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, and then opened a studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, as a result of friendships made in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
His initial contact with Milwaukee was made as a student when William E. Cramer, the editor of the Evening Wisconsin, visited Giovanni Dupre
Giovanni Duprè
Giovanni Duprè was an Italian sculptor, of distant French stock long settled in Tuscany, who developed a reputation second only to his contemporary Lorenzo Bartolini.-Biography:...
's studio, where Trentanove was studying. "For the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
of 1893, Trentanove sculpted the Last of the Spartan
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
s, a large white Carrara marble statue. When the Chicago fair closed, Cramer purchased the Spartan statue for the Layton Art Gallery in Milwaukee." Trentanove thus became a regular visitor to Milwaukee and taught classes at the Layton Art Gallery.
Trentanove subsequently acquired American citizenship and although he spent a portion of every year in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, where the foundry that cast his models in bronze was located, he passed most of the remainder of his life in Milwaukee. In 1897 Trentanove was created a knight of the Crown of Italy. After retirement, he returned to Italy where he died.
Trentanove's public monuments are more easily located than his portrait sculptures, figural sculptures and decorative sculpture.
Selected works
- 1889 Victor Hugo, shown at the Exposition Universelle (1889)Exposition Universelle (1889)The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
, Paris. - 1892 The Last of the Spartans, Milwaukee Museum. Purchased at the Esposizione di Belle Arti, Parma, by William Cramer and donated in 1893 to the Layton Art Gallery, Milwaukee.
- 1894 Father Jacques Marquette, Wisconsin representative, Statuary Hall, United States Capitol
- 1900 Daniel Webster for the Daniel Webster MemorialDaniel Webster MemorialThe Daniel Webster Memorial is a monument in Washington, D.C. honoring U.S. statesman Daniel Webster. It is located near Webster's former home at 1603 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, beside Scott Circle at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue.The statue of Webster was...
, Scott CircleScott CircleScott Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Rhode Island Avenue, and 16th Street, N.W...
, Washington, D.C. - 1901 Albert Pike for the Albert Pike Memorial, Judiciary SquareJudiciary SquareJudiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings...
, Washington, DC - 1904 Tadeusz KościuszkoTadeusz KosciuszkoAndrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
, Kosciuszko Park, Milwaukee - 1904 Tadeusz KościuszkoTadeusz KosciuszkoAndrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
, Cleveland Museum of Art - 1904 Andrew Carnegie bust for Carnegie Library in Atlanta, Georgia. Now in lobby of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library SystemAtlanta-Fulton Public Library SystemThe Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is a network of public libraries serving the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, both in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is currently administered by Fulton County...
's Central Library. - 1907 Father Jacques Marquette, public statue at Marquette Park (Mackinac Island)Marquette Park (Mackinac Island)Marquette Park is a landscaped park located on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of Mackinac Island State Park and stands on the edge of Mackinac Island's harbor on the Round Island Channel and just east of downtown Mackinac Island....
- Giovanni Villani for a niche of the Loggia del Mercato NuovoLoggia del Mercato NuovoThe Loggia del Mercato Nuovo , popularly known as the Loggia del Porcellino , is a building in Florence, Italy. It is so called to distinguish it from the Mercato vecchio located in the area of today's Piazza della Repubblica....
, Florence. - Soldiers' Monument, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
- Governor Nelson Dewey, Lancaster, Wisconsin
- President McKinley, Somerville, New Jersey
- Oshkosh, commemorating the treaty with the MenomineeMenomineeSome placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...