Giovanni Ferdinando Franchi

Born 1812 (Circa)
Died 6 November 1874

Active: 1834 - 1874

Country of birth: Italy

Country of death: England

Manufacturer in plaster, electrotype casting, fictile ivory

Born in Lucca, naturalised British citizen. Died at 18 Duncan Terrace, Islington, London. Giovanni Ferdinand established a successful firm of plaster cast figure makers, manufacturers of fictile ivories and of electrotypes. Between about 1851 (or earlier) and 1870 his only surviving son, Giovanni Antonio (Ferdinand) also worked for the business. His early death in 1870 (at the age of about 38) meant there was no immediate family member to continue the firm. It is presumed that this was one of the reasons that Giovanni Franchi and Son was acquired by Elkington & Co in 1874.

The death of Giovanni Ferdinand was reported in the Journal of the Society of Arts: 'Giovanni Franchi the well known artist in electrotype... was a native of Lucca in Tuscany: he settled in this country nearly forty years ago. In 1846 he was rewarded by this Society for the production of casts in fictile ivory. He was the first person in this country that cast from gelatine composition moulds and he carried his process to a high state of perfection a year or two later, and perfected the means of casting from the round in moulds without seams, and thus laid the foundation for the production of the elaborate electro deposits richly undercut and in relief, for which he afterwards became so celebrated.'

The notice also lists some of his chief works reproduced in electrotype: '...the large bronze sockets for flagstaff's in the Piazza of St Mark Venice, statuettes of our Saviour and St John from the originals in the Cathedral of Pisa, also two pair of gates one known as the Porta di San Banieri in the Cathedral of Pisa and the other the Ghiberti Gates from the Baptistry of Florence. The whole of the royal plate from the Tower of London was also reproduced including the baptismal font, the royal wine fountain, and sceptre of Ann Boleyn. The royal plate from Windsor Castle was reproduced and also works of art from Knowle Park belonging to the Earl De la Warr... His casts in plaster are unrivalled; two of the specimens are in the South Kensington Museum, and consist of a reproduction of the pulpits from the Cathedrals of Pisa and Florence.' [Journal of the Society of Arts, 20 November 1874, p. 2]

Wealth at death: £4,000 0s. 0d.
Probate date: 26 November 1874

Citing this record

'Giovanni Ferdinando Franchi', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib7_1206614685, accessed 10 Jun 2023]