Antonio Soldini (May 4, 1854 – May 12, 1933 in

Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...

) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

sculptor. He was born in

Chiasso Chiasso (; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Mendrisio (district), Mendrisio in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. As Extreme points of Switzerland, the southernmost of Switzerland's ...

, near Milan. His father was a policeman, and Soldini received his early education in Lugano, then trained as a stonemason in

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , ; ; is a municipality, a List of towns in Switzerland, historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its Three Castles of Bellinzona, three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sa ...

and

Viggiù Viggiù (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about northeast of Varese, on the border with Switzerland. Viggiù borders the following municipalities: ...

. From 1873 he enrolled at the

Brera Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan's main public mu ...

and worked under Vincenzo Vela. By 1877 Soldini was producing independent works as a sculptor and was active in Milan and later in

Bissone Bissone is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Lugano (district), Lugano, in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Bissone is first mentioned in 735 and again in 854 as ''Blixuni''. In G ...

. Dizionario storico della Svizzera
entry on Soldini. He exhibited many busts in stucco and marble. At the 1881 Exhibition of Fine Arts in Milan, he displayed a ''Portrait of a Man'' and a ''Portrait of professor Gorini'' (stucco). A marble high-relief exhibited in 1886 in Milan, depicted: ''Selvaggina'' (Hunted Game); at the 1884 Exhibition of Fine Arts of Turin. At the 1887 National Artistic Exposition of Venice he also exhibited a sculpture of game. He also made portrait busts. ''Dizionario degli Artisti Italiani Viventi: pittori, scultori, e Architetti.''
by Angelo de Gubernatis. Tipe dei Successori Le Monnier, 1889, page . He completed four medallions in the spandrels of the cupola hall of the Federal Palace in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

. Soldini was a liberal active in politics. From 1902 to 1905 he was a member of the National Council. From 1915 to 1927, he was mayor of Bissone, 1923-1927 and 1931–1933. He was a member of the

Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...

cantonal parliament.

References

1854 births 1933 deaths Brera Academy alumni Swiss sculptors People from Ticino 19th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian sculptors 20th-century Italian male artists 19th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors 19th-century Italian male artists {{Italy-painter-19thC-stub