Giuseppe Ceracchi

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Giuseppe Ceracchi, portrait by John Trumbull, 1792. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Giuseppe Ceracchi (also known as Giuseppe Cirachi) (4 July 1751- 30 January 1801) was an Italian sculptor, active in a Neoclassic style in Italy, England and the nascent United States.

He was born in Rome on the 4th of July, and thus it is only apt that he is known for his heroic portrait busts of leaders of the American Revolution, executed during his two visits to the new American republic, in 1791–2 and 1794–5. He initially trained in Rome with Tommaso Righi (1727–1802) and then continued his studies at the Accademia di San Luca. A letter from George Washington to Ceracchi describes plans for a national monument to be built in the then newly planned capital city. In London in 1773, Ceracchi worked under Agostino Carlini and modelled architectural ornament for Robert Adam-designed houses. In 1778, Ceracchi also sculpted the statues of Temperance and Fortitude in Portland stone for the Strand façade of Somerset House, London. He died in Paris.