Karl Joseph von Firmian (15 August 1716, in

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

– 20 July 1782, in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n noble, who served as Plenipotentiary of

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

to the Austrio-Hungarian Empire. His proper name was Karl Gotthard von Firmian, and in Italy known as Carlo Giuseppe di Firmian. He was the nephew of

Leopold Anton von Firmian Leopold Anton Eleutherius Freiherr von Firmian (11 March 1679 – 22 October 1744) was Bishop of Lavant 1718–24, Bishop of Seckau 1724–27 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1727 until his death. Early life He was born in Munich, on his ...

. He was also related to Leopold Maximilian von Firmian (1760-1831), Archbishop of Vienna. He was raised and educated in the

Abbey School The Abbey School is an independent selective day school for girls, in Reading, Berkshire, England. Overview The Abbey School provides education for girls aged 3 to 18 years. The school is based in the centre of Reading, on Kendrick Road. The ...

Ettal Ettal is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Ettal is situated in the ''Oberland'' area in the ''Graswangtal'' between the ''Loisachtal'' and '' Ammertal'', approx. 10 km north of Garmisch-Pa ...

in Bavaria, then in Innsbruck and Salzburg. He attended university in

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

and well traveled through France and Italy. The aristocrat was recruited in 1753 by

Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (Francis Stephen; french: François Étienne; german: Franz Stefan; 8 December 1708 – 18 August 1765) was Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Grand Duke of Tuscany. He became the ruler of the Holy ...

as ambassador to

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 ...

. Three years later, he was named plenipotentiary minister to

, and served for many years. He is remembered as an avid promoter of the arts and sciences, patronizing both the artists

Johann Joachim Winckelmann Johann Joachim Winckelmann (; ; 9 December 17178 June 1768) was a German art historian and archaeologist. He was a pioneering Hellenist who first articulated the differences between Greek, Greco-Roman and Roman art. "The prophet and founding he ...

and Angelica Kauffman. From the painter

Andrea Salvatore Aglio Andrea Salvatore di Antonio Aglio, sometimes spelled Allio (1736-1786), was an Italian painter sculptor, born in Arzo, who specialized in painting on marble. Aglio was born in Arzo. Notes about his life are provided by the Historical Dictionary ...

, he commissioned a ''Virgin of Bovilli'' and a ''Birth of

Maria de Medici Marie de' Medici (french: link=no, Marie de Médicis, it, link=no, Maria de' Medici; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV of France of the House of Bourbon, and Regent of the Kingd ...

, Queen of France'', copy of the large canvas by Rubens. His tomb was placed in the church of San Bartolomeo in Milan. During the Napoleonic occupation of Lombardy, his monument was removed as part of an effort to expunge any signs of prior Austrian governance. After 1815, it was returned to its place. At his death, he had accumulated a large collection of paintings and a substantial library.

Works

Bibliography

*Adriano Caprioli, Antonio Rimoldi, Luciano Vaccaro (a cura di), ''Diocesi di Como'', Editrice La Scuola, Brescia 1986, 192, 195, 214. *Mauro Nequirito (a cura di), Trentini nell'Europa dei lumi: Firmian, Martini, Pilati, Barbacovi, Comune di Trento, Trento, 2002
Dizionario biografico Treccani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firmian, Karl Joseph von 1716 births 1782 deaths People from Trento Austrian Empire politicians Austrian untitled nobility Austrian diplomats