Ferdinand II Bust (Ferdinand I Bust)
Dublin Core
Title
Ferdinand II Bust (Ferdinand I Bust)
Subject (Topic)
Subject (Topic)
Roger Williams Park--Rhode Island--Providence
South Elmwood--Neighborhoods--Rhode Island--Providence
Monuments--Rhode Island--Providence
Roger Williams Park--Rhode Island--Providence
South Elmwood--Neighborhoods--Rhode Island--Providence
Monuments--Rhode Island--Providence
Subject (Name)
Subject (Name)
Ferdinand II of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1810-1859
Ferdinand I of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1751-1825
Ferdinand II of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1810-1859
Ferdinand I of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1751-1825
Subject (Object)
Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
In 1868, Albert Dailey traveled to Naples and stayed in the Washington Hotel, the former Palazzo Chiatamone. At the hotel, he excavated the marble bust of Ferdinand II/Ferdinand I from the gardens of the former palazzo. At his death in 1877, Dailey left the bust as a bequest to the City of Providence. It was erected in Roger Williams Park on October 11, 1881.
Although Dailey insisted that the bust depicted Ferdinand II, it more closely resembles his grandfather, Ferdinand I. Ferdinand I was King of the Two Sicilies from 1816-1825; he was also ruled as Ferdinand IV of Naples from 1759-1806; and again, from 1815-1816.
The famed Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) began an equestrian monument to Ferdinand I. At Canova’s death in 1822, the monument to Ferdinand I was completed by the artist Antonio Calì (1788-1866). The likeness of Ferdinand I in the equestrian monument as well as a terracotta portrait bust by Calì at the Royal Palace of Caserta resemble the bust in Roger Williams Park. A decade later, a writer for the Providence Journal speculated as to the bust’s history and if it might be the work by Canova.
Although Dailey insisted that the bust depicted Ferdinand II, it more closely resembles his grandfather, Ferdinand I. Ferdinand I was King of the Two Sicilies from 1816-1825; he was also ruled as Ferdinand IV of Naples from 1759-1806; and again, from 1815-1816.
The famed Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) began an equestrian monument to Ferdinand I. At Canova’s death in 1822, the monument to Ferdinand I was completed by the artist Antonio Calì (1788-1866). The likeness of Ferdinand I in the equestrian monument as well as a terracotta portrait bust by Calì at the Royal Palace of Caserta resemble the bust in Roger Williams Park. A decade later, a writer for the Providence Journal speculated as to the bust’s history and if it might be the work by Canova.
Creator
Canova, Antonio, 1757-1822 (?)
Calì, Antonio, 1788-1866 (?)
Calì, Antonio, 1788-1866 (?)
Source
Photographs by Eric Sung, Professor, Providence College
Date
1822?
Contributor
Albert Dailey
Rights
City of Providence, 25 Dorrance Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903, United States
Medium
Marble; Maine granite (base)
Bibliographic Citation
"Have We a Bourbon Among Us!" Providence Journal, November 22, 1871.
"Bust of Ferdinand II. Unmarked Marble in the Park. King Bomba of the Two Sicilies." Providence Journal, January 18, 1891.
"Art Notes. What the Art World is Doing and Talking About." Providence Journal, January 25, 1891.
"Memorial Statuary: The Proper Location of a Monument to Shakespeare." Providence Journal, August 23, 1891.
"Lack of Records Veils Origin of Part Statues." Providence Journal, January 3, 1932.
Parker, Paul Edward. "In R.I., As in History, Our Taste Is Cast in Stone." Providence Journal, September 16, 1994.
"There’s a Story Behind Every Statue." Providence Journal, September 4, 2012.
"Bust of Ferdinand II. Unmarked Marble in the Park. King Bomba of the Two Sicilies." Providence Journal, January 18, 1891.
"Art Notes. What the Art World is Doing and Talking About." Providence Journal, January 25, 1891.
"Memorial Statuary: The Proper Location of a Monument to Shakespeare." Providence Journal, August 23, 1891.
"Lack of Records Veils Origin of Part Statues." Providence Journal, January 3, 1932.
Parker, Paul Edward. "In R.I., As in History, Our Taste Is Cast in Stone." Providence Journal, September 16, 1994.
"There’s a Story Behind Every Statue." Providence Journal, September 4, 2012.
Rights Holder
Department of Art, Culture, Tourism, City of Providence
Geolocation
Citation
Canova, Antonio, 1757-1822 (?)
Calì, Antonio, 1788-1866 (?), “Ferdinand II Bust (Ferdinand I Bust),” Commemorative Works of Providence, accessed April 1, 2026, https://monuments.artculturetourism.com/items/show/45.