Francesco Nagni (7 February 1897–11 July 1977) was a 20th-century Italian figurative sculptor, best known for the grave of

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

in the Vatican.

Life

He was born in Viterbo on 7 February 1897. He spent almost his entire life in Rome first studying at the Academy of Saint Luca. After the First World War, working as an assistant in the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome he worked on several state works under the fascist regime of Mussolini. These included the monument to Armando Diaz in Naples and many war memorials to Italians killed in the war. He was involved in the artists group at

Villa Strohl Fern The ''Villa Strohl Fern'' is a semi-urban Neo-Gothic-style, palace, or casino, and gardens erected in the late 19th century on the grounds of the Villa Borghese in Rome. It is known for having housed and provided studios for dozens of prominent art ...

in Rome. From around 1940 he started to receive commissions from the Vatican and his work is now represented in St Peter's Basilica, His work would have requited multiple meets with both the Pope and other senior church officials. His works are not only on the public side within the church but notably includes the tomb of

in the crypts. He died in Rome on 11 July 1977 aged 80. Around 2000 Nagni's family donated 34 plaster casts by Nagni to the Museum of Viterbo most of which stand in the Sacred Art section. These are the moulds from which his various bronze works were cast.

Recognition

In Viterbo, his birthplace the municipality has named a street near the railway station after Nagni: Via Francesco Nagni.

Known works

*Tomb of

(1940), Vatican City, Rome * Ostiense Railway Station frontage, Rome (1940)

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

with a God * Armando Diaz monument, Naples (c.1935) *Huge figure of

St Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Rome (EUR quarter) (1959) *Manzi grave in

St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery St Pancras and Islington Cemetery is a cemetery in East Finchley, North London. Although it is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, it is run as two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, Camden (formerly St Pancras) and Isling ...

, London (1962) two bronze angels lifting the dead man from his graveLondon Cemeteries an Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer, Miller & Parsons *Seated figure of

at Museo de Colle del Duomo in Viterbo (1964) *Seated figure of

Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (, , ; la, Castrum Gandulphi), colloquially just Castello in the Castelli Romani dialects, is a town located southeast of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. Occupying a height on the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Albano, Castel Ga ...

(1964) *Seated figure of

, St. Peter's Basilica, Rome (1965) replacing a previous statue by Pietro Canonica *Tomb of St Gemma, Sanctuary of St Gemma, Lucca (1965) *Gilded bronze urn containing the body of Saint Pius X Sarto (1952) St Peters Basilica, Rome *Statues of St Alphonsus, Francis de Sales and Hilary of Poitiers at

Sao Paulo Cathedral SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...

in Brazil *

St Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ...

holding a lamp, Church of St Lucy, Rome *Assumption Virgin and six bronze angels on the tomb of Don Luigi Sturzo, in

Caltagirone Caltagirone (; scn, Caltaggiruni ; Latin: ''Calata Hieronis'') is an inland city and ''comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administ ...

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, Sicily

Unbuilt Commissions

Commission from

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

for new bronze doors on St Peters, which were to be known as the Faith Door and the Splendour Door, involving work from 1947 to 1970 (now in the

Vatican Museum The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...

). These doors were to consist of multiple bronze bas-relief panels featuring various Christian stories, such as Nero Persecuting the Christians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagni, Francesco 1897 births 1977 deaths Italian sculptors