Page 212 - Features of an Era
P. 212
takes in Dr. Younan Labib Rizk’s comment on the implementation phase of the
project of the Alexandrian statue of Khedive Isma’il saying: «The fashioning of the
statue was entrusted to the famous Italian sculptor Pietro Calonica» the right name is
Pietro Canonica. The design of the building of the statue surrounds was undertaken
by Verrucci Bey who selected a Roman architectural style. It was supported by the
Municipality of Alexandria, which paid 2900 pounds for flooring the platform, 300
pounds for tiling the sidewalk, and 2200 pounds for decorative lampposts around it.
A team of Italian architects and builders who were famous in Alexandria volunteered
to build and install the statue for no remunerationˮ(40).
Pietro Canonica
Who is this sculptor Canonica mentioned by Dr. Younan as «Calonica» without
identifying him or refering to his position between the sculptors of Italy and the world
during that period?
Pietro Canonica (1959 – 1869) was one of the most important sculptors of Italy in
his time. In addition to the sculpture in which he shined, he practiced painting and
operatic composition. He was also an art professor and a member of the Italian Senate.
He began his career very early(41) and achieved a great success in official circles of
Turin by his field and commemorative artworks executed there. After moving to Rome
in 1922, he began his extensive participation in local and international exhibitions.
His artworks toured major Italian cities in addition to the capitals of France, England,
Germany, Belgium and Russia; they received a great official acclaim.
The Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica who executed the statue of Khedive Isma’il, which was erected in
Alexandria in 1938. A picture of Canonica in his youth.
(40) Labib Rizk, Younan. «A Diwan of Contemporary Life», (652).
(41) At the age of ten, he was an assistant to the artist Luca Gerosa. Next year, he was accepted as a student
at Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin, where he received his sculpture studies under sculptors Enrico
Gamba and Odoardo Tabacchi.
212
project of the Alexandrian statue of Khedive Isma’il saying: «The fashioning of the
statue was entrusted to the famous Italian sculptor Pietro Calonica» the right name is
Pietro Canonica. The design of the building of the statue surrounds was undertaken
by Verrucci Bey who selected a Roman architectural style. It was supported by the
Municipality of Alexandria, which paid 2900 pounds for flooring the platform, 300
pounds for tiling the sidewalk, and 2200 pounds for decorative lampposts around it.
A team of Italian architects and builders who were famous in Alexandria volunteered
to build and install the statue for no remunerationˮ(40).
Pietro Canonica
Who is this sculptor Canonica mentioned by Dr. Younan as «Calonica» without
identifying him or refering to his position between the sculptors of Italy and the world
during that period?
Pietro Canonica (1959 – 1869) was one of the most important sculptors of Italy in
his time. In addition to the sculpture in which he shined, he practiced painting and
operatic composition. He was also an art professor and a member of the Italian Senate.
He began his career very early(41) and achieved a great success in official circles of
Turin by his field and commemorative artworks executed there. After moving to Rome
in 1922, he began his extensive participation in local and international exhibitions.
His artworks toured major Italian cities in addition to the capitals of France, England,
Germany, Belgium and Russia; they received a great official acclaim.
The Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica who executed the statue of Khedive Isma’il, which was erected in
Alexandria in 1938. A picture of Canonica in his youth.
(40) Labib Rizk, Younan. «A Diwan of Contemporary Life», (652).
(41) At the age of ten, he was an assistant to the artist Luca Gerosa. Next year, he was accepted as a student
at Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin, where he received his sculpture studies under sculptors Enrico
Gamba and Odoardo Tabacchi.
212
