Cavaliere Rodolfo Nolli (1888–1963) was an Italian sculptor and stonework contractor from Lombardy, who worked mainly in Southeast Asia during the first half of the 20th century.
Rudolfo Nolli | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1888 |
| Died | 1963 (aged 74–75) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Known for | sculpture, architecture |
| Notable work | marble decorations at Old Supreme Court Building, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque |
| Awards | Cavaliere[1] |
History
editBorn in 1888 Lombardy, Italy, he was the nephew of the sculptor Vittorio Novi from Lanzo d'Intelvi, a village close to Lake Lugano in northern Italy, province of Como.
Around 1914, Novi created the marble decoration for the new Mahaiudthit Bridge in Bangkok[2] and also did marble works for the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.[3] Here Nolli became his assistant. He would be awarded with the Order of the Crown of Italy - a form of knighthood that carried with it the title Cavaliere for his efforts in Siam, whilst based in Singapore in 1925.[4]
In Singapore Nolli later designed the marble decorations of the College of Medicine Building, Singapore (completed 1926)[5] and of the Old Supreme Court Building (completed 1939).[1][6][7] Nolli had also designed the cast iron lamps and lion reliefs[8] of the Elgin Bridge spanning the Singapore river (completed 1929).
In 1950 to 1952 he created two iconic crests for Gan Eng Seng School at Anson Road,[9] which were lost when the school moved to Raeburn Park in 1986. He had formerly crafted the Royal Coat of Arms and a pair of flambeau pieces for the main entrance of the Fullerton Building built in 1924-28. Among his last works in Singapore was a pair of lions for the Bank of China Building, Singapore (1954).[10][11]
Probably his last commission was the stonework for the huge Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Brunei (completed 1958) which inspired the novel Devil of a State by Anthony Burgess.
He died in 1963 in Italy at the age of 75.
References
edit- ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Mahaiudthit Bridge. Bangkok. 2009". June 17, 2009. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2017 – via Flickr.
- ^ vimanmek.com Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine - bloggang.com Archived 2013-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lim, Jerome (June 16, 2017). "The knight whose works enriched a cultural desert". The Long and Winding Road. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ Teo, ES (July 2005). "The History of the College of Medicine and Tan Teck Guan Buildings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-10-24. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ "Category:Allegory of Justice (Singapore) - Wikimedia Commons". commons.wikimedia.org. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ "Old Supreme Court Building, Singapore, Singapore | AsiaExplorers". Archived from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
- ^ "Singapura Lion roundels | SINGAPORE PUBLIC ART". Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
- ^ "Crest and Creator". Singapore Standard. May 12, 1952. p. 2.
- ^ "Rodolfo Nolli | SINGAPORE PUBLIC ART". Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
- ^ "SCULPTOR RODOLFO NOLLI DIES IN ITALY". The Straits Times. Feb 19, 1964. p. 10.