A Life Divided by Faith and Distance
The early years of Pierce Connelly were shaped by a sudden shift in his family's direction. When he was only four, his father’s conversion to Catholicism led to a life of separation. His father became an ordained priest and moved toward Italy, while his mother became a nun and took Pierce to England. This early fracture in the family left a mark that followed him into his later years. He eventually found his way to Florence in 1860, where he began to study the art of sculpture under Hiram Powers.
His hands were trained in the delicate work of portraiture. By 1871, his busts were being exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. This work caught the attention of Queen Victoria, who commissioned a bust of Princess Louise from him. He was a man of many names and many places, moving between the studios of Europe and the landscapes of the colonies.
The Sculptor and the Sketchbook
Connelly’s career was marked by a movement between the permanence of stone and the fleeting nature of a landscape sketch. His work spanned several continents and varied in both medium and subject matter:
- The study of portrait busts in London and Florence.
- The exhibition of sculptures at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
- The sketching of natural landscapes during his time in New Zealand.
- The creation of oil paintings, such as his 1904 work, Italian Lake Scene.
After his time in the United States, he moved to New Zealand. There, he spent much of his time traveling, capturing the natural world through sketches. He was a man who observed the terrain, recording what he saw as he moved through the landscape.
The Final Return to Italy
The later years of his life saw a return to the country where his father had once gone. He lived in relative obscurity for a time, a stark contrast to the days of royal commissions. He eventually returned to Italy around the time of his father's death. He was buried in a Protestant cemetery, a final gesture of his lifelong distance from the Catholic Church that had once split his family apart. He died in Rome in 1932.
