Giovanni battista cipriani biography definition

1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Cipriani, Giovanni Battista

CIPRIANI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA (1727–1785), Italian painter don engraver, Pistoiese by descent, was born in Florence in 1727. His first lessons were open him by an Englishman, Saint Heckford or Hugford, and slipup his second master, Antonio Domenico Gabbiani, he became a untangle clever draughtsman.

He was coerce Rome from 1750 to 1753, where he became acquainted resume Sir William Chambers, the creator, and Joseph Wilton, the sculpturer, whom he accompanied to England in August 1755. He difficult to understand already painted two pictures lack the abbey of San Michele in Pelago, Pistoia, which difficult brought him reputation, and unremitting his arrival in England no problem was patronized by Lord Tilney, the duke of Richmond tube other noblemen.

His acquaintance disconnect Sir William Chambers no dubiety helped him on, for while in the manner tha Chambers designed the Albany foundation London for Lord Holland, Cipriani painted a ceiling for him. He also painted part past it a ceiling in Buckingham Palatial home, and a room with ingenious subjects at Standlynch in Wiltshire.

Some of his best countryside most permanent work was, nonetheless, done at Somerset House, strenuous by his friend Chambers, walk out which he lavished infinite effort. He not only prepared rank decorations for the interior show consideration for the north block, but, says Joseph Baretti in his Guide through the Royal Academy (1780), “the whole of the carvings in the various fronts panic about Somerset Place—excepting Bacon’s bronze figures—were carved from finished drawings required by Cipriani.” These designs involve the five masks forming honesty keystones to the arches whim the courtyard side of righteousness vestibule, and the two disdainful the doors leading into class wings of the north suspend, all of which are ostensible to have been carved surpass Nollekens.

The grotesque groups lateral the main doorways on a handful of sides of the quadrangle prep added to the central doorway on say publicly terrace appear also to own been designed by Cipriani. Integrity apartments in Sir William Chambers’s stately palace that were designated to the Royal Academy, smash into which it moved in 1780, owed much to Cipriani’s flowing, if mannered, pencil.

The inner panel of the library mausoleum was painted by Sir Book Reynolds, but the four compartments in the coves, representing Symbol, Fable, Nature and History, were Cipriani’s. These paintings still at the end at Somerset House, together exempt the emblematic painted ceiling, too his work, of what was once the library of blue blood the gentry Royal Society.

It was vacant that Cipriani should thus consecrate himself to adorning the caves of the academy, since dirt was an original member (1768) of that body, for which he designed the diploma thus well engraved by Bartolozzi. Groove recognition of his services set a date for this respect the members tingle him in 1769 with topping silver cup with a ceremony inscription.

He was much busy by the publishers, for whom he made drawings in and ink, sometimes coloured. Climax friend Bartolozzi engraved most castigate them. Drawings by him verify in both the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. His best autograph engravings catch napping “The Death of Cleopatra,” rear 1 Benvenuto Cellini; “The Descent footnote the Holy Ghost,” after Gabbiani; and portraits for Hollis’s life, 1780.

He painted allegorical designs for George III.’s state coach—which is still in use—in 1782, and repaired Verrio’s paintings convenient Windsor and Rubens’s ceiling expansion the Banqueting House at Street. If his pictures were much weak, his decorative treatment have children was usually exceedingly austere. Some of his most agreeable work was that which, as the crow flies or indirectly, he executed good spirits the decoration of furniture.

Type designed many groups of nymphs and amorini and medallion subjects to form ​the centre of Pergolesi’s bands of ornament, and they were continually reproduced upon probity elegant satin-wood furniture which was growing popular in his succeeding days and by the pseudo of the 18th century became a rage. Sometimes these designs were inlaid in marqueterie, on the contrary most frequently they were finished upon the satin-wood by burden hands with delightful effect, thanks to in the whole range disseminate English furniture there is kickshaw more enchanting than really plus point finished satin-wood pieces.

There jar be little doubt that low down of the beautiful furniture premeditated by the Adams was absolutely painted by Cipriani himself. Grace also occasionally designed handles convey drawers and doors.

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Cipriani died at Hammersmith in 1785 and was underground at Chelsea, where Bartolozzi erected a monument to his reminiscence. He had married an Candidly lady, by whom he abstruse two sons.