Lorenzo Vela

Lorenzo Vela (4 July 1812 – 10 January 1897) was a Swiss-Italian sculptor and ornamental decorator known for his refined decorative work in Milan and his teaching at the Accademia di Brera.

Early life and training Vela was born in Ligornetto, the fourth of six children of Giuseppe Vela and Teresa Casanova, both farmers and innkeepers. As a child, he trained as a stonemason and marble worker, probably in Viggiù. By the late 1820s, he moved to Milan to pursue his career, following the advice of his older brother Luigi, who worked as a carpenter in the Lombard capital.