Anton Domenico Gabbiani
Encyclopedia
Anton Domenico Gabbiani (13 February 1652 – 22 November 1726) was an Italian
painter and active in a late Baroque
style.
, Gabbiani first apprenticed with the Medici
court portrait painter Justus Sustermans
, then with the Florentine Vincenzo Dandini
; subsequently moved to Rome in 1673 he arrived in Rome, where he studied under the Medici-sponsored Accademia Fiorentina, led by Ciro Ferri
and Ercole Ferrata
. This latter tutelage and his style has led Gabbiani to be described as one of the ‘’Cortoneschi’’ or followers of Pietro da Cortona
, albeit second-generation. In 1678-9, he traveled to Venice
, where he worked in the studio of Sebastiano Bombelli
, returning to his native Florence in 1680, where he was often patronized by Grand Prince Ferdinando, the son of the Grand Duke Cosimo III
. He painted the portrait of his patron surrounded by musicians (c. 1685; Pitti Palace). He also frescoed the Apotheosis of Cosimo il Vecchio in the ceiling of the Sala da Pranzo in the Villa di Poggio a Caiano
. Also worked in the church of San Frediano. By 1684, he completed an Annunciation for the Pitti Palace. He completed a St. Francis de Sales in Glory (1685) for the church of Santi Apostoli. His pupils included Giovanna Fratellini
, Ignazio Enrico Hugford (also a biographer), Benedetto Luti
, Ranieri del Pace, Giovanni Battista
and Tommaso Redi
.
patronage of arts related to science. The Salone was so named because it encased a Meridian line (a metal strip along floor and wall) with which one could make annotations of solar time, by noting where a beam of sunlight pointed at high noon. The Palazzina once formed the south west corner of the Pitti, and is little visited.
When the frescoes were painted, the Palazzina rooms were part of the mezzanine apartment of Grand-prince Ferdinando de' Medici, son of the Grand Duke Cosimo III and child-pupil of Vicenzo Viviani. Viviana was a court scholar who had been devoted to Galileo in the master’s last years, and even published some of his papers posthumously. For the Sala Meridiana, Gabbiani adopted a panoramic ceiling similar to both Cortona’s apotheotic frescoes in Palazzo Barberini
and in the Sal di Marte in the Pitti itself. Open sky is depicted above and around the cornice a circumferential horizon of activity. Originally, the room was pierced by a hole in the ceiling, now sealed, originally located near the trunk of the frescoed tree. At noon, a sun beam through the hole, alit on the meridian strip. The iconography is complex, and was described by his Gabbiani’s pupil Hugford as Time raising up Arts and Sciences to the temple of glory and trampling Ignorance. Some of the icons can be identified, Father Time sits below the tree, near the column. His symbols, detailed in Cesare Ripa
’s Iconologia (1603), are the scythe, circle and hourglass, and are lofted about by neighboring putti. The woman on his arm is Scienza or Knowledge preening herself in the mirror. Ignorance has ass’s ears supine by broken column.
But the genius of the work is the lonely bearded figure on the side, behind a cannon and beside an armillary sphere
, detached from the lofty bombast. The portrait matches the portrait by Susterman of Galileo, who sits on the sidelines, behind a symbol of his contribution to the science of ballistics. Perhaps he awaits Time, who points to him, to defeat ignorance, and rescue him from the ignominy he suffered at the hands of the Roman Inquisition
.
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 and active in a late 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...
style.
Biography
Born in FlorenceFlorence
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....
, Gabbiani first apprenticed with the Medici
Medici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
court portrait painter Justus Sustermans
Justus Sustermans
Justus Sustermans , also known as Giusto Sustermans, was a Flemish painter in the Baroque style. He was born in Antwerp and died in Florence....
, then with the Florentine Vincenzo Dandini
Vincenzo Dandini
Vincenzo Dandini was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence. He was a pupil of his brother, Cesare Dandini in Florence, then he moved to Rome and worked in the studio of Pietro da Cortona. Among his pupils were Giovanni Battista Marmi and Antonio Domenico Gabbiani...
; subsequently moved to Rome in 1673 he arrived in Rome, where he studied under the Medici-sponsored Accademia Fiorentina, led by Ciro Ferri
Ciro Ferri
Ciro Ferri was an Italian Baroque sculptor and painter, the chief pupil and successor of Pietro da Cortona.He was born in Rome, where he began working under Cortona and with a team of artists in the extensive fresco decorations of the Quirinal Palace...
and Ercole Ferrata
Ercole Ferrata
Ercole Ferrata was an Italian sculptor of the Roman Baroque.-Biography:A native of Pellio Inferiore, near Como, Ferrata initially apprenticed with Alessandro Algardi, and became one of his prime assistants...
. This latter tutelage and his style has led Gabbiani to be described as one of the ‘’Cortoneschi’’ or followers of Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona
Pietro da Cortona, by the name of Pietro Berrettini, born Pietro Berrettini da Cortona, was the leading Italian Baroque painter of his time and also one of the key architects in the emergence of Roman Baroque architecture. He was also an important decorator...
, albeit second-generation. In 1678-9, he traveled to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where he worked in the studio of Sebastiano Bombelli
Sebastiano Bombelli
Sebastiano Bombelli was an Italian painter, mainly active in Venice, during the Baroque period.Bombelli was born in Udine, where he was apprenticed to his father, Valentino Bombelli, and his godfather, Girolamo Lugaro. He is claimed by some to have studied with Guercino...
, returning to his native Florence in 1680, where he was often patronized by Grand Prince Ferdinando, the son of the Grand Duke Cosimo III
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III de' Medici was the penultimate Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinando II. Cosimo's 53-year long reign, the longest in Tuscan history, was marked by a series of ultra-reactionary laws which regulated prostitution and...
. He painted the portrait of his patron surrounded by musicians (c. 1685; Pitti Palace). He also frescoed the Apotheosis of Cosimo il Vecchio in the ceiling of the Sala da Pranzo in the Villa di Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano
Poggio a Caiano is a town and comune in the Province of Prato, Tuscany region Italy. The town lies 9 km south of the provincial capital of Prato.-The Medici villa:...
. Also worked in the church of San Frediano. By 1684, he completed an Annunciation for the Pitti Palace. He completed a St. Francis de Sales in Glory (1685) for the church of Santi Apostoli. His pupils included Giovanna Fratellini
Giovanna Fratellini
Giovanna Fratellini was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Florence, mainly painting small miniature portraits....
, Ignazio Enrico Hugford (also a biographer), Benedetto Luti
Benedetto Luti
Benedetto Luti was an Italian painter.-Biography:Luti was born in Florence. He moved to Rome in 1691 where he was patronized by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, an enthusiast for the pastel portrait. Luti was one of the first artists to work in pastels as the final composition as...
, Ranieri del Pace, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista, was a common Italian given name in the 16th-18th centuries, which in English means "John the Baptist". The French variation is "Jean-Baptiste". Common nicknames include Giambattista, Gianbattista or Giovambattista. The Genoese nickname was Baciccio, and a common shortening was...
and Tommaso Redi
Tommaso Redi (painter)
Tommaso Redi was an Italian painter, who was active during the late-Baroque in his native Florence.He initially apprenticed with the Florentine painter Anton Domenico Gabbiani , and then moved to Rome to work in the Medici Academy in that city, which employed Carlo Maratti and Ciro Ferri as teachers...
.
Frescoes of the Palazzina Meridiana
Gabbiani’s masterpiece is considered to be his ceiling frescoes for the Palazzina Meridiana, specifically in the Sala Meridiana in the Pitti Palace. This work underscores the frequent, yet somewhat ostentatious MediciMedici
The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
patronage of arts related to science. The Salone was so named because it encased a Meridian line (a metal strip along floor and wall) with which one could make annotations of solar time, by noting where a beam of sunlight pointed at high noon. The Palazzina once formed the south west corner of the Pitti, and is little visited.
When the frescoes were painted, the Palazzina rooms were part of the mezzanine apartment of Grand-prince Ferdinando de' Medici, son of the Grand Duke Cosimo III and child-pupil of Vicenzo Viviani. Viviana was a court scholar who had been devoted to Galileo in the master’s last years, and even published some of his papers posthumously. For the Sala Meridiana, Gabbiani adopted a panoramic ceiling similar to both Cortona’s apotheotic frescoes in Palazzo Barberini
Palazzo Barberini
Palazzo Barberini is a palace in Rome, facing the piazza of the same name in Rione Trevi and is home to the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica.-History:...
and in the Sal di Marte in the Pitti itself. Open sky is depicted above and around the cornice a circumferential horizon of activity. Originally, the room was pierced by a hole in the ceiling, now sealed, originally located near the trunk of the frescoed tree. At noon, a sun beam through the hole, alit on the meridian strip. The iconography is complex, and was described by his Gabbiani’s pupil Hugford as Time raising up Arts and Sciences to the temple of glory and trampling Ignorance. Some of the icons can be identified, Father Time sits below the tree, near the column. His symbols, detailed in Cesare Ripa
Cesare Ripa
Cesare Ripa was an Italian aesthetician who worked for Cardinal Anton Maria Salviati as a cook and butler.Little is known about his life. He was born in Perugia and died in Rome. After the death of the cardinal, Ripa worked for his relatives...
’s Iconologia (1603), are the scythe, circle and hourglass, and are lofted about by neighboring putti. The woman on his arm is Scienza or Knowledge preening herself in the mirror. Ignorance has ass’s ears supine by broken column.
But the genius of the work is the lonely bearded figure on the side, behind a cannon and beside an armillary sphere
Armillary sphere
An armillary sphere is a model of objects in the sky , consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centred on Earth, that represent lines of celestial longitude and latitude and other astronomically important features such as the ecliptic...
, detached from the lofty bombast. The portrait matches the portrait by Susterman of Galileo, who sits on the sidelines, behind a symbol of his contribution to the science of ballistics. Perhaps he awaits Time, who points to him, to defeat ignorance, and rescue him from the ignominy he suffered at the hands of the Roman Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
.