Il Moro di Venezia (Othello)

This bust, inscribed with ‘Calvi Milano’, was originally exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1881. The plinth bears the Lion of St Mark, alluding to the setting of Shakespeare’s play.

The likeness is said to be of Ira Frederick Aldridge, an African/American actor renowned for his portrayal of Othello across Europe in the late 19th Century. Calvi was probably inspired by Aldridge’s fame for ‘Moro Di Venezia’.

Aldridge is also rather interesting. The son of a liberated slave, he grew up in Manhattan inspired by Shakespeare, but faced prejudice when he became an actor. He sailed to Britain in 1824, where his stage debut was in Coventry, aged 17. He performed Othello to sell out audiences and used his fame to address audiences on slavery and prejudice. He was the first black actor to perform at Stratford in 1881.