Sculptor
Ferdinando Vichi
1875-1941
Ferdinando Vichi was an Italian sculptor from Florence. Born into a noble family, he was one of Tuscany’s most talented sculptors, associated with the Bazzanti Gallery in Florence. He is renowned for his sculptures, mainly in marble and alabaster.
He developed a passion for art from an early age and entered the Florence Academy of Fine Arts under Augusto Rivalta and Cesare Zocchi, winning numerous prizes. Very early in his career, Vichi exhibited ‘La Baigneuse’ at the Paris Salon, winning a prize. He subsequently worked in Germany, England, the Americas and as far afield as India, where he received international critical acclaim.
Vichi became a leading figure in Florentine sculpture in the late 19th century. He collaborated with other sculptors such as Cesare Lapini, Pietro Bazzanti and Guglielmo Pugi, all associated with the Galleria Bazzanti, founded in 1822. Their works covered a wide range of subjects, from busts inspired by Antiquity to Orientalist and neo-Renaissance themes. Like many sculptors of his time, Vichi often drew his inspiration from classical antiquity, a style that was very popular in Italian sculpture at the end of the nineteenth century.
Ferdinando Vichi won several prestigious prizes and gold medals at Italian exhibitions, notably in Venice and Livorno. In 1907, at the age of thirty, he was made a Knight of the Kingdom.