Joseph Panzetta was an Italian sculptor and modeller who worked in England from c.1787–1830 and exhibited at

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

from 1789–1810. He worked for Mrs

Eleanor Coade Eleanor Coade (3 or 24 June 1733 – 18 November 1821) was a British businesswoman known for manufacturing Neoclassical statues, architectural decorations and garden ornaments made of ''Lithodipyra'' (Coade stone) for over 50 years from 1769 ...

at her ''Coade Ornamental Stone Manufactory'' for over 26 years and modelled in ''Lithodipyra'' (

Coade stone Coade stone or ''Lithodipyra'' or ''Lithodipra'' () is stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding neoclassical architecture, neoclassical statues, a ...

). His finest and most significant works include: the

Admiral Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

Pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

at the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

; and the 5.2 metre statue of Lord

Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, (11 August 1772 – 10 December 1842) was a British Army officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Hill became Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1828. Well- ...

, in Shrewsbury that stands atop

Lord Hill's Column Lord Hill's Column is a monument located outside of Shropshire Council's headquarters, Shirehall, in the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire. It is a column of the Doric order and measures in height. It commemorates General Rowland Hill, 1st Visc ...

, the tallest Doric column in Great Britain.

Career

An article in ''

Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851 The ''Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660–1851'' is a biographical dictionary of sculptors active in Britain in the period between the Restoration of Charles II and the Great Exhibition of 1851. It has appeared in three editions, published in ...

'' records: “Panzetta , Joseph, active from c.1787-1830. Exhibited at Royal Academy from 1789-1810. Worked for Mrs Coade over 26 years. ”

Works

Nelson's Pediment - Royal Naval College

in the

King William King William may refer to: People Bimbia * William I of Bimbia * William II of Bimbia () Britain and Ireland * William of England (disambiguation), multiple kings * William I, King of Scots (–1214), also known as William the Lion German Empir ...

Courtyard of the

Old Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College are buildings that serve as the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

- was regarded by the Coade workers as the finest of all their work. It was sculpted by Joseph Panzetta in 1813, as a public memorial after his death at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

in 1805. It was based on a painting by

Benjamin West Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as ''The Death of Nelson (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...

depicting Nelson's body being offered to

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

by a

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Niké of Samothrace'', is a Votive offering, votive monument originally discovered on the island of Samothrace in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Helleni ...

. The cost of the work at Greenwich, which included many figures, was £2,584.The Landmark Trust, Where to find Coade stone
/ref> The pediment pictured bears the inscription "Designed by Benjamin West MDCCCXII" (1812). Shrewsbury Column

Lord Hill's Column, Shrewsbury

, outside the Shropshire Council headquarters, is one of the most notable landmarks of the town of

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

, Shropshire, England. It was modelled by Joseph Panzetta. In an article in the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' (2008) Alison Kelly implies that the statue of Lord Hill in Shrewsbury, at circa 16 feet tall was the largest single figure ever ordered in Coade stone. It cost £315, a very considerable sum in 1816."Eleanor Coade"
Alison Kelly, ''Oxford National Dictionary of Biography''

Other works

His works include figures of Nelson, Neptune and Britannia. The cost of Panzetta’s work, with others, at Buckingham Palace, which involved many figures, was £1,386.Friends of Lord Hill's column, What is Coade Stone?
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panzeta, Joseph Italian expatriates in England Ceramics manufacturers of England People of the Industrial Revolution Neoclassical artists 18th-century Italian sculptors