The son of a goldsmith, Giuseppe Ceracchi was born on July 4, 1751 in Italy. At a young age, the boy showed interest and talent in sculpting and he was sent to Rome to study under Tommaso Righi – an Italian sculptor known for his neoclassical style. When he was 22 years old, Giuseppe moved to London to study under Royal Academy founder and Italian artist Agostino Carlini. While he was never a member of the Academy, he exhibited many works at the art institution.

In 1790, Giuseppe became aware of a plan by the newly formed Congress of United States of America to erect a statue of George Washington and a monument to the newly formed country. He quickly made his way across the ocean in an attempt to be commissioned for the work. Within a year, he became good friends with James Madison (who was at that time a congressman from Virginia), who called him "an artist celebrated by his genius" (U.S. Treasury). Unfortunately for Giuseppe, Congress never followed through on its plan.

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