Giovanni Quagliata
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Quagliata was an Italian 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. He is more properly known in Italy as Giovan Battista Quagliata (and Giambattista Quagliata), one of the leading artists of the Messinesi painters of the 17th century, as described by Francesco Susinno in his book "The Lives of the Messinesi Painters" published in 1724. Giovanni was born in Messina, Italy
Messina, Italy
Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. It has a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the province...
. He was a pupil 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...
and enjoyed the patronage and friendship of the Spanish Viceroy of Sicily, Don Juan José of Austria
John of Austria the Younger
John of Austria was a Spanish general and political figure. He was the only natural son of Philip IV of Spain to be acknowledged by the King and trained for military command and political administration...
(Viceroy from 1649–1651; also known as John of Austria the Younger
John of Austria the Younger
John of Austria was a Spanish general and political figure. He was the only natural son of Philip IV of Spain to be acknowledged by the King and trained for military command and political administration...
). Giovanni's brother, Andrea Quagliata (born in 1594 or 1599, and died in 1660), was also an historical painter, but of lesser significance.
Giovanni's works - paintings, frescos and large canvases - were famously displayed in the galleries and churches of Messina, but due to earthquakes from Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
and wartime bombings, few have survived to the present day.
Biography
Giovanni's father, Giovan Domenico Quagliata, was a painter who lived in RomeRome
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...
in the late 16th century. He was an artist of talent, but not greatness. Unfortunately, we don't have the details of Giovan Domenico's birth, but a reasonable estimate would be 1570. His birth place remains a mystery. If he was born on the mainland, it's highly likely he was part of the Quagliata family located in Balvano. Possibly looking for a better market for his talent and art, Giovan Domenico moved from 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...
to the growing trade center of Messina
Messina, Italy
Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. It has a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the province...
, arriving in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
in the late 16th century. Unfortunately Susinno does not cite the works of Giovan Domenico. Sometime before 1600, Giovan Domenico married a woman from Messina named Francesca LeDonne and together they had children. We know of two sons: Andrea Quagliata born in 1594 (or in 1599, and died in 1660) and Giovan Battista Quagliata born in 1603 (1603–1673, also known as Giovanni Quagliata). Andrea became a student of his father and was a capable painter. Giovanni was directed by his parents to study letters, but his studies were interrupted by the premature death of the father. Andrea, by that time a professional painter, convinced his younger brother to attend his school where Giovanni does well. Andrea married, but apparently did not have children.
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...
to attend the prestigious school of Pietro Berrenttini from 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...
(also known as 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...
). As Giovanni continued his studies under Cortona, it soon became clear that he was more talented than both his father and his brother. About age 24, he married a Roman woman named Cinzia Conticelli. During those years in 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...
he created many works documented in the registers of the parish of San Nicola in Arcione, and he became a member of the Academy of Saint Luke
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
- an association of artists in Rome, founded in 1593 for the purpose of elevating the work of "artists" above that of craftsman, which is still active today.
At age 37, perhaps enticed by lucrative commissions, Giovanni returned to Messina in 1640. There he enjoyed the patronage of the Spanish Viceroy of Sicily, Don Juan José of Austria
John of Austria the Younger
John of Austria was a Spanish general and political figure. He was the only natural son of Philip IV of Spain to be acknowledged by the King and trained for military command and political administration...
. The Viceroy became a student of Giovanni's and the two became friends. Then, Giovanni's first wife, Cinzia, died and sometime later he married Flavia Alias, sister of the famous mathematician of the Company of Gesu, Vincenzo Alias. Giovanni had at least two children - two sons are known. Giovanni produced many famous works during this period. In time, Viceroy Don Juan José granted Giovanni Quagliata a noble title with a coat of arms and some land in the countryside area of Forza d'Agrò
Forza d'Agrò
Forza d'Agrò is an Italian town and comune in Sicily, part of the Province of Messina.Forza d'Agrò is on the lower peak of a small mountain, while on the higher peak that overlooks the town are the remains of a Norman castle. Much of the town consists of traditional buildings and stone paved lanes...
, Sicily, between the city and the sea, where the new city of Sant'Alessio Siculo
Sant'Alessio Siculo
Sant'Alessio Siculo is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 35 km southwest of Messina....
later developed, and from where most of his descendants come. Giovanni's works - paintings, frescoes and large canvasses - were famously displayed in the galleries and churches of Messina
Messina, Italy
Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. It has a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the province...
, but due to earthquakes from Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
and wartime bombings, few have survived to the present day. Surviving canvases include: 'The Apparition of the Virgin Mary to Saint Paul', 'The Sacrifice of Polissena', 'The Virgin Nativity', 'Immaculate Mary', and 'The Triumph of David'.