Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena (18 August 1657 – 3 January 1743),"Galli-Bibiena, Ferdinando" (dates, Farnese dynasty, to Barcelona for Karl VI),''Encyclopedia of Austria'', 2006, aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at webpag

."Ferdinando Galli Bibiena Online" (overview), John Malyon, ''Artcyclopedia'', 2005, Artcyclopedia.com webpag

surname also spelled Galli da Bibiena or Bibbiena, was an Italian Baroque-era

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

, and

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

."Bibiena, Galli da, Family" (history),''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', 18-November-2006, Britannica.com webpag
EB-Bibienas

Biography

Bibiena was born on 18 August 1657 at

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

. He was the son of

Giovanni Maria Galli (1625–1665), and he studied painting under

Carlo Cignani Carlo Cignani (15 May 1628 – 8 September 1719) was an Italian painter. His innovative style referred to as his 'new manner' introduced a reflective, intimate mood of painting and presaged the later pictures of Guido Reni and Guercino, as well a ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

under Giulio Trogli, called ''il Paradosso''. On the recommendation of Cignani, Bibiena entered into the service of the duke of

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

and also worked for the Farnese dynasty at

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

over a period of 30 years. His main work during this time was the garden and villa of

Colorno Colorno (Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about north of Parma. Colorno borders the following municipalities: Casalmaggiore, Gu ...

, but he also earned a reputation for his scenic designs and began working for the theatre. In 1708, Bibiena was called to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

to organize the decorations in connection with the wedding festivities of the future Holy Roman emperor Charles VI. Following his accession, Bibiena traveled to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where he worked on designs of scenery and decorations for court festivities and opera performances. In his decorations for the theatre and festivities, Bibiena replaced the central (vertical) axis with a diagonal axis, introducing an angular perspective. In the competition to select a design and architect for the construction of the Karlskirche,

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...

was chosen over Bibiena. He returned to

in 1716, where in 1717, he was elected as a member of the Clementine Academy. In 1731, Bibiena built the royal theatre of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

(which burned down 50 years later, in 1781). He produced several books, including: :* ''L'Architettura civile'' (1711; "Civil Architecture"), later reissued under various titles :* ''Varie opere di prospettiva'' (1703–1708; "Various Works of Perspective"). Past the age of 86, Bibiena died on 3 January 1743.

Family

The ''Galli-Bibiena'' family derives its name from the surname and birthplace of Giovanni Maria Galli (1625–1665), who was born at Bibbiena (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) outside

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. Giovanni studied painting under

Francesco Albani Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter who was active in Bologna (1591–1600), Rome (1600–1609), Bologna (1609), Viterbo (1609–1610), Bologna (1610), Rome (1610–1617), ...

and laid the foundations of an artistry which was continued by his descendants, who dedicated themselves to scenic work (with

set design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly train ...

) for the theatre. For example, Ferdinando's second son, Antonio, was well regarded, like his father, as a ''pittore scenico'' or ''teatrale'', active in the arts of ''arte scenografica''. Using the highly ornate style of late Baroque sculpture and architecture, the members of the ''Galli-Bibiena'' family produced a series of theatrical and other designs that are exceptional for their intricate splendour and spacious proportions achieved by detailed perspective. Among their followers was Francesco Zinani of

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

. From about 1690 to 1787, eight Bibienas designed and painted for many of the courts of Europe with intricate settings for

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

s, weddings, and funerals. The Habsburgs were their most generous patrons. Among his followers or artists in his studio was

Domenico Francia Domenico Francia (1702–1758) was an Italian painter and architect. He was born in Bologna, the son of the engraver Francesco Maria Domenico Francia, and studied under Ferdinando Galli (called Bibiena), whom he assisted in his paintings at V ...

Notes

References

* A. H. Mayor, ''The Bibiena Family'', 1940.

External links

Architectural and ornament drawings : Juvarra, Vanvitelli, the Bibiena family, & other Italian draughtsmen
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Galli-Bibiena (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Galli-Bibiena Ferdinando 1656 births 1743 deaths 18th-century Italian architects 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters Italian scenic designers Artists from Bologna Architects from Bologna 18th-century Italian male artists