Luigi Fontana (9 February 1827 – 27 December 1908) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

sculptor, painter and architect.

Biography

He was born at

Monte San Pietrangeli Monte San Pietrangeli is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Fermo in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about north of Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ' ...

in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

. He first began training between 1838 and 1841 at

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza ri ...

under Gaetano Ferri; then moved to

Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest hum ...

to work under Gaetano Palmaroli, and finally went to Rome and joined the studio of

Tommaso Minardi Tommaso Minardi (December 4, 1787 – January 12, 1871) was an Italian painter and author on art theory, active in Faenza, Rome, Perugia, and other towns. He painted in styles that transitioned from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. Biography Mi ...

and attended classes at the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

. Fontana's uncle of the same name was a prominent architect in the Marche region. Luigi Fontana the painter had two sons: Tommaso, who was his pupil, and Margherita. Fontana painted religious subjects for the seminary of

and the church of Santissimi Sacramento in

Grottazzolina Grottazzolina is a town and comune in the province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. Twin towns - twin cities * Komádi – Hungary * 2nd district of Budapest – Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in ...

. In 1850, he returned to Rome to paint a canvas depicting ''Orazio Brancadoro sent by the Emperor Charles V to the Siege of Ratisbon''. Among his other paintings is a ''Ezekiel's Vision'' for the church of San Nicola da Tolentino, a copy of the ''

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

'' by

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Painting, painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school (art), Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He pain ...

found in the church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Telusiano, and another painting for San Martino e San Marco in

Petriolo Petriolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italy, Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about south of Macerata. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,063 and an area of .All demograph ...

. From 1879 to 1903, he collaborated with the ornamental painter Nicola Achilli (1858 – 1945) of Montegiorgio. Fontana completed the large

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

lions outside the Collegiata di Santi Lorenzo and Biagio in Monte San Pietrangeli. Nicola also helped Fontana in designing and applying the faux marble decorations, and stucco decorations in the Cathedral designed by Luigi Poletti for Montalto Marche, in the collegiate church of Santa Lucia in

Montefiore dell'Aso Montefiore dell'Aso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about northeast of Ascoli Piceno. One of several Hilltowns in Central Italy, Montefiore dell ...

, in the church of SS. Sacramento e Rosario of

, in the vast abbey of

Campofilone Campofilone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Fermo in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about northeast of Ascoli Piceno. As of 31 December 2018, it had a population of 1,912 and an area of . Camp ...

, in the

Basilica di San Nicola a Tolentino The Basilica of Saint Nicolas of Tolentino ( it, Basilica di San Nicola a Tolentino) is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica that is part of the Augustinian monastery in the hill-town of Tolentino, province of Macerata, Marche, central Ital ...

, and other churches in the Marche. Apart from his native town, his works are present in Rome in the basilicas of Santi Apostoli (1871-1875, apse frescoes),

San Lorenzo in Damaso The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Damaso (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Damaso) or simply San Lorenzo in Damaso is a parish and titular church in central Rome, Italy that is dedicated to St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. It is incorporated ...

San Giovanni in Laterano The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

, Santa Maria sopra Minerva and other palaces, as well as in the cathedrals of

Montefiascone Montefiascone is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, central Italy. It stands on a hill on the southeast side of Lake Bolsena, about north of Rome. History The name of the city derives from that of the Falisci (''Mons Fa ...

, and Tivoli. He also sculpted a life-size solid silver statue of Saint Philip of Agira in Zebbug, Malta. This is a unique statue in classic style used for religious processional purposes with over 36 kg of solid silver. The statue was completed in 1863 and may be viewed at the Catholic parish church of the same town in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

.Pro Loco San Pietrangeli
short biography.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontana, Luigi 1827 births 1908 deaths People from the Province of Fermo 19th-century Italian architects 19th-century Italian painters 19th-century Italian male artists Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian sculptors 20th-century Italian male artists 19th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors