Cesare dell' Acqua (22 July 1821 – 16 February 1905) was an Italian painter known for historical works.

Life and career

Cesare Felice Giorgio Dell'Acqua was born in

Piran Piran (; it, Pirano ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town is known for its medieval architecture, with narrow streets and compact houses. P ...

(or Pirano d'Istria), near Trieste, the son of Andrea and Caterina Lengo. He first studied in Koper, but by 1833 he had relocated to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

. From 1842 until 1847 he attended the Venice Academy of Fine Arts where he studied with

Ludovico Lipparini Lodovico Lipparini (February 17, 1800 – March 19, 1856) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born at Bologna, and was instructed in that city, where he brought himself into notice at the age of fifteen. In 1820 he was in Rome and Naples, ...

, Odorico Politi and

Michelangelo Grigoletti Girolamo Michelangelo Grigoletti (29 August 1801 – 11 February 1870) was an Italian painter, active in a Neoclassical style. Biography Born at Pordenone to a humble family, he was encouraged by an uncle priest who arranged for him to enrol ...

. One of his early historical paintings, ''The Meeting of Cimabue and the Young Giotto'' (1847), was acquired by the Archduke Johann of Austria. After this, he began to receive commissions from noble families, including that of Prince von Lichtenstein. Following his studies, he traveled through Europe with his patron, Baron Ludovico Luigi Reszan, visiting Vienna, Munich and Paris. In 1855 he married Carolina van der Elst and the couple had two daughters: Eva and Alina. His daughter

Eva Dell'Acqua Eva Dell'Acqua (28 January 185612 February 1930) was a Belgian singer and composer of Italian ancestry. Biography Eva Dell'Acqua was born in 1856 in Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium, the daughter of the Italian painter Cesare Dell'Acqua and his wife ...

went on to become a noted singer and composer. In around 1848, he moved to Brussels where his brother Eugenio lived and where he continued his studies with

Louis Gallait Louis Gallait (9 or 10 May 1810 – 20 November 1887) was a Belgian painter. He lay at the basis of a revival of history painting in Belgium. He earned his reputation especially with the large painting of Charles V's abdication. Gallait's works w ...

, who became a major influence on his work. He began to specialize in works representing historical events. Between 1852 and 1877 he completed a number of commissioned works in Trieste that established his reputation as a painter. In Brussels, he exhibited with strong responses and received commissions from prominent families in Brussels, such as Errera, van Wambecke and van der Elst. He also painted two works for the Greek Orthodox Church of Trieste; ''The Sermon of John in the Dessert'' which was so highly acclaimed that he was awarded town citizenship in 1851. In 1873 Dell'Acqua participated at Universal Exhibition in Vienna and also exhibited in London the following year. This resulted in international commissions for his work. At the end of his career, he settled in Brussels, where he completed numerous paintings for use as book illustrations. In addition to historical themes, Dell' Acqua also painted many female subjects dressed in traditional Greek and oriental costume. Dell'Acqua died in

Ixelles (French, ) or ( Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the munic ...

on 16 February 1905.

Work

His paintings are included in a number of public collections, including: the Museums of Brussels, Antwerp, Trieste and Bruges. While he is primarily noted for his historical works, he also painted Orientalist subjects.Benezit, E., ''Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs,'' Gründ, 1999; ''Saur Allgemeines Künstler-Lexicon,'' Munchen-Leipzig, 2000. Select list of paintings * ''The Meeting of Cimabue and the Young Giotto,'' 1847 * ''Jesus Calling the Small Children to Him,'' c. 1851 * ''The Sermon of John in the Dessert,'' 1851 * ''Greek Mother'' 1860 * ''Arrival of Empress Elisabeth in Miramare,'' 1865 *'' Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria is appointed Emperor of Mexico,'' 1867 Gallery File:Greek mother.jpeg, ''Greek Mother,'' 1860 File:Dell'Acqua Arrival of Empress Elisabeth in Miramare.jpg, Empress Elisabeth and

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

arrive at

Miramare Miramare Castle ( it, Castello di Miramare; es, Castillo de Miramar; german: Schloss Miramar; sl, Grad Miramar) is a 19th-century castle direct on the Gulf of Trieste between Barcola and Grignano in Trieste, northeastern Italy. It was built ...

to meet Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, 1865 File:Dell'Acqua Ernennung Maximilians zum Kaiser Mexikos.jpg, Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria is appointed Emperor of Mexico, 1867

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DellAcqua, Cesare 1821 births 1905 deaths 19th-century Italian painters Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia alumni Orientalist painters People from Piran Painters from Venice Italian male painters 19th-century Italian male artists

Life and career

Work

See also

References