Ercole Parlanti – art bronze founder of Fulham

Born Ercole Filippo Giacomo Parlanti in Rome in 1871, he worked at the Fonderia Nelli in Rome along with his elder brother, Alessandro, learning all about bronze casting, and in particular art bronze casting by the lost wax method. The brothers moved to the UK in the 1890s and set up an art foundry at 59 Parsons Green Lane, casting for all the top sculptors of the time. 

The ancient art of lost wax casting had almost disappeared from the UK over time, and the Parlanti brothers were able to bring with them their skills and knowledge of the ancient art, which were very much in demand by sculptors of the period.

When Alessandro, along with his wife and his 3 Italian born children, returned permanently to Italy in 1905, Ercole remained in England. His 4 children were all born in Fulham, and Ercole eventually became a naturalised UK citizen in 1947. Ercole continued to run the foundry at Parsons Green, keeping the foundry name of Alessandro Parlanti as the name had become synonymous with top quality art bronze castings. By 1917 the foundry was sold, and Ercole moved a little way up the road to Beaumont Road (now Beaumont Avenue) in West Kensington where the foundry was in his own name. Most of the customers simply transferred their business from Parsons Green to Beaumont Road. 

At that time very little credit was ever given to the foundry, however, over time we have come to understand the huge importance of these artisans, and most of the art world now acknowledges that without Ercole and others we simply would not have the many wonderful bronzes that we do. On occasions top sculptors had tried to cast their own work and had failed miserably. Alfred Gilbert was one such example.

The Fulham Chronicle would often mention the Parlanti foundries, helpfully identifying a number of their casts. In 1923 Ercole cast the huge bronze eagle which sits atop the RAF Memorial on London’s Embankment directly opposite the London Eye. This was at the time the largest piece of sculpture ever cast in England. The Fulham War Memorial was also cast by Ercole. 

His intricate knowledge of casting methods meant that he not only cast in bronze, but also other metals, alloys, plaster and even gold. Many of his smaller castings are to be found in museums and art galleries worldwide, in London alone his castings can be found in The Tate, The Royal Academy, The V&A and the National Portrait Gallery as well as other London locations. The bronze statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (along with the 6 replicas that are to be found worldwide) were cast by Ercole, the modelling by George Frampton is extremely detailed and would have tested the skills of Ercole to the full. 

The bronze casting business had been good for Ercole, as by 1921 he had moved to The Italian Villa at 62 Hurlingham Road, one of Fulham’s finest houses. He employed servants, and the villa was beautifully furnished. Unfortunately, in the late 1930s, Ercole, who was a very well liked but trusting man, fell victim to a large scam. This resulted in him having to drastically downsize, and he moved from his beloved Fulham to Bedford Park, Chiswick in 1939 to spend the last 16 years of his life. Ercole would often bemoan having had to leave Fulham, therefore it is fitting that his final resting place should be ‘back home’ in Fulham.