Giovanni Pichler (Born 10 January 1734 in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
; died 25 January 1791 in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
) was a German-Italian artist in
engraved gems
An engraved gem, frequently referred to as an intaglio, is a small and usually semi-precious gemstone that has been carved, in the Western tradition normally with images or inscriptions only on one face. The engraving of gemstones was a major lux ...
.
Biography
Giovanni Pichler was born on 10 January 1734 in Naples, where his father, the Tyrolean gem-engraver,
Anton Pichler
Anton Pichler (April 12, 1697 – September 14, 1779) was a Tyrolean goldsmith and artist of engraved gems, and the son of a doctor.''The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts.''
Pichler was born in Brixen. He studied in Naples and worked f ...
, had settled. He was the brother of
Luigi Pichler, who also became a gem-engraver. In 1743 his father moved to Rome. Giovanni was educated by his father in classical methods, and apprenticed to
Domenico Corvi[''The Grove Encyclopaedia of Engraving.'']
He cut, after 15 years, a
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
in Combat with the
Nemean Lions, a generally admired piece. His
gem
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...
s, both recessed and embossed, are of outstanding clarity and sharpness and he was one of the most sought after engravers of his age,
leaving him with a prolific 379 pieces to his name.
He also worked in pastel painting.
In 1790 he produced a catalogue of 200 examples of his work.
Johann Joseph (Giuseppe) Pichler, stepbrother of Giovanni and Luigi Pichler, born in 1760 in Rome, was a skillful
lapidary
Lapidary (from the Latin ) is the practice of shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary is known as a lapidarist. A la ...
.
Giovanni Pichler died on 25 January 1791 in Rome. A portrait bust of Pichler by the sculptor,
Christopher Hewetson is conserved in the Musei Capitolini, Rome.
References
Literature
* I. Bignamini, C. Hornsby, ''Digging And Dealing In Eighteenth-Century Rome'' (2010), p. 316-317
* G. Tassinari, 'I ritratti dei viaggiatori del Grand Tour sugli intaglio ed i cammei di Giovanni Pichler', in ''Bolletino del Centro Interuniversitario di ricerche sul viaggio in Italia''; 26:1 (2005), p. 11-79
*
G. Seidmann, 'The Grand Tourist's favourite souvenirs: cameos and intaglios', in ''RSA Journal'' (1996), p. 63-66
*
Hermann Rollett: ''Die drei Meister der Gemmoglyptik Antonio, Giovanni und Luigi Pichler: eine biographisch-kunstgeschichtliche Darstellung'' (1884. Vienna)
* ''Catalogo d'impronti cavati da gemme incise dal Cavaliere Giovanni Pichler ...'' (1790)
Italian artists
German artists
Italian people of Austrian descent
Italian people of German descent
18th-century Neapolitan people
Engraved gem artists
1734 births
1791 deaths
{{Italy-artist-stub
Catholic engravers