Agostino Mitelli
Encyclopedia
Agostino Mitelli was an Italian
painter of the Baroque
period and best known as a fresco painter of quadratura or illusionistic perspectival architectural frameworks.
He was born in Battedizzo
, near Bologna and died in Madrid
while working for the court of Philip IV of Spain
. He was a pupil of Gabriello Ferrantini
(degli Occhiali) and Girolamo Curti
. He had a long and fruitful collaboration with Michelangelo Colonna in northern and central Italy; Colonna principally executed the figurative elements and Mitelli, the quadratura framework. Examples of his quadratura can be found at Bologna
, Parma
, Modena
, Florence
, Rome
, and Genoa
, testifying to the popularity of the style. Colonna and Mitelli even travelled to Madrid
, in 1658, to help decorate the Royal Alcazar
and the Palace of Buen Retiro. Mitelli died in Madrid. He also published some etchings in a manuscript entitled Freggi dell'architettura da Agostino Mitelli.
Through his numerous pupils who spread out through Italy and Europe, Mitelli exerted a strong influence on the 'school' of quadratura painting. His son Giuseppe Maria Mitelli (1634–1718) was also a painter and engraver. Two of his daughters married pupils of his; Baldassare Bianchi
was mainly active in Mantua, and Giacomo Alboresi
was mainly active in Parma and Florence. Giovanni Paderna
, Bianchi's first master, had been a follower of Mitelli. Giovanni Giacomo Monti
, a partner of Bianchi, was Mitelli's pupil. Domenico Santi, known as Mengazzino, Francesco Quaino, and Andrea Montecelli were also Mitelli's pupils.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
painter of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period and best known as a fresco painter of quadratura or illusionistic perspectival architectural frameworks.
He was born in Battedizzo
Sasso Marconi
Sasso Marconi is a town and comune of the province of Bologna in northern Italy, 17 kilometres SSW of Bologna.It is named after Guglielmo Marconi, the radio pioneer, who was born in the nearby city of Bologna. In 1902, Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal at Poldhu Cove,...
, near Bologna and died in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
while working for the court of Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
. He was a pupil of Gabriello Ferrantini
Gabriello Ferrantini
Gabriello Ferrantini was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna in the late 16th and early 17th century. He was a pupil of the painter Denis Calvaert and Francesco Gessi. Among his pupils were Matteo Borboni and Michelangelo Colonna....
(degli Occhiali) and Girolamo Curti
Girolamo Curti
Girolamo Curti was an Italian painter of the early-Baroque, specializing in quadratura.He was also called il Dentone.He was born to a poor family at Bologna, and worked for cloth spinner till age 25. His first formal training was with the Cremonese painter Cesare Baglioni...
. He had a long and fruitful collaboration with Michelangelo Colonna in northern and central Italy; Colonna principally executed the figurative elements and Mitelli, the quadratura framework. Examples of his quadratura can be found at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, testifying to the popularity of the style. Colonna and Mitelli even travelled to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, in 1658, to help decorate the Royal Alcazar
Alcázar
An alcázar , alcácer or alcàsser is a type of castle in Spain and Portugal. The term derives from the Arabic word القصر meaning "fort, castle or palace"; and the Arabic word is derived from the Latin word, 'castrum', meaning an army camp or fort...
and the Palace of Buen Retiro. Mitelli died in Madrid. He also published some etchings in a manuscript entitled Freggi dell'architettura da Agostino Mitelli.
Through his numerous pupils who spread out through Italy and Europe, Mitelli exerted a strong influence on the 'school' of quadratura painting. His son Giuseppe Maria Mitelli (1634–1718) was also a painter and engraver. Two of his daughters married pupils of his; Baldassare Bianchi
Baldassare Bianchi
Baldassare Bianchi was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.He was born in Bologna, and was first a pupil of Giovanni Paderna, but after Paderna's death, he trained with Agostino Mitelli, the pre-eminent quadratura painter from Bologna. Bianchi married Mitelli's daughter. Bianchi became a...
was mainly active in Mantua, and Giacomo Alboresi
Giacomo Alboresi
Giacomo Alboresi was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Born in Bologna, he was a pupil of Domenico Santi and the quadratura painter Agostino Mitelli and later worked under Angelo Michele Colonna in Spain, Florence, and Parma...
was mainly active in Parma and Florence. Giovanni Paderna
Giovanni Paderna
Giovanni Paderna was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.He trained with Girolamo Curti, became an accomplished imitator of Agostino Mitelli, the pre-eminent quadratura painter from Bologna...
, Bianchi's first master, had been a follower of Mitelli. Giovanni Giacomo Monti
Giovanni Giacomo Monti
Giovanni Giacomo Monti was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.He trained with Agostino Mitelli, the pre-eminent quadratura painter from Bologna. Monti became a colleague of Baldassare Bianchi, Mitelli's son-in-law. This partnership also met with success particularly at Mantua, where they...
, a partner of Bianchi, was Mitelli's pupil. Domenico Santi, known as Mengazzino, Francesco Quaino, and Andrea Montecelli were also Mitelli's pupils.