Name of Object:

Edward Jenner, Marble Group by Giulio Monteverde

Name in original language:

Edoardo Jenner, gruppo in marmo di Giulio Monteverde

Location:

Rome, Italy

Holding Institution:

National Central Library

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Holding Institution (original language):

Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale

Date of Object:

1878

Inventory Number:

Inv.1360

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Illustration from a magazine showing the marble group by G. Monteverde

Dimensions:

130 x 90 x 97 cm

Provenance:

Italy

Description:

Giulio Monteverde was an Italian sculptor who started carving wooden crucifixes and then moved on to sculpture during his years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa. In 1865 Monteverde moved to Rome to study at the Academy of St. Luke. The sculpture of Edward Jenner (1749-1823) represents the British physician and naturalist inoculating for the first time, on his own son, the smallpox vaccine that he invented. This work was initially rejected by the Academy of St. Luke, entrusted with selecting works of art for the International Exposition in Vienna, and then exhibited in it thanks to an influential friend of the artist. The plaster cast of Jenner won the gold medal in Vienna. The engraving celebrates Monteverde's deeds. Chroniclers report that in 1878 the marble version of the group sculpture was awarded a huge prize at the International Exhibition in Paris: a gold medal and a hearty public welcome.

Archival or Bibliographical Reference:

L'Esposizione di Parigi del 1878 illustrata, Sonzogno Editore, 1878, p. 199

Additional Copyright Information:

Copyright image: Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Roma.

Citation of this web page:

Marina Minozzi "Edward Jenner, Marble Group by Giulio Monteverde" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;it;164;en

Prepared by: Marina Minozzi
Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: IT2 022