Marcantonio Franceschini (; 1648 – 24 December 1729) was an Italian painter of the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

period, active mostly in his native

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= 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 150 different nat ...

. He was the father and teacher of

Giacomo Franceschini Giacomo Franceschini (1672–1745) (also called Jacopo Franceschini) was an Italian painter. He was the son and scholar of Marc Antonio Franceschini, was born at Bologna in 1672. He painted historical pictures in the style of his father, and the ...

.''The picture collector's manual'' by James R. Hobbes London T&W Boone 1845 page 15

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Biography

He was a pupil of

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 ...

, with whom he worked on the frescoes in the Palazzo del Giardino in

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

(1678–81). He worked closely for many years with his brother-in-law,

Luigi Quaini Luigi Quaini (1643–1717) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography He was born in Ravenna, and first learned the art of architectural perspective painting from his father, Francesco Quaini, a pupil of Agostino Mitelli. After ...

, who also was the cousin of Cignani. Marcantonio Franceschini - Christ and the Woman of Samaria - 2009

Franceschini had a long career painting canvases on religious and mythological subjects for patrons throughout Europe. Franceschini decorated some ceilings in the Palazzo Ranuzzi (1680) and the Palazzo Marescotti Brazzetti (1682) in Bologna. He helped paint in the tribune at church of San Bartolomeo Porta Ravegnana (1690). Franceschini frescoed the ceiling of the ''Sala d'Onore'' ("Hall of Honor") in the

Ducal Palace of Modena The Ducal Palace of Modena is a Baroque palace in Modena, Italy. It was the residence of the Este Dukes of Modena between 1452 and 1859. It currently houses a portion of the Italian Military Academy. History The palace occupies the site of t ...

, commissioned in 1696 for the marriage of Rinaldo d'Este to

Princess Charlotte Felicity of Brunswick Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

. He painted the altarpiece in the Cathedral of

Finale Ligure Finale Ligure ( lij, O Finâ, locally ; la, Finarium) is a ''comune'' on the Gulf of Genoa in the Province of Savona in Liguria, Italy. It is considered part of the Italian Riviera. Geography Known for its white sand beaches and its views, Final ...

and the canvas of ''San Carlo'' in the church of the same name in Modena. His massive program of historical and mythological scenes in the ''Sala del Maggior Consiglio'' of the Palazzo Ducale of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

(1701–1704) were destroyed by a fire in 1777. These had been completed with the help of

Tommaso Aldrovandini Tommaso Aldrovandini (21 December 1653 – 23 October 1736) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He mainly painted perspective views and architectural subjects (quadratura), in which the figures were painted by Marcantonio France ...

, Quaini, and Antonio Meloni. In addition, his decorations of the pendentives and lunettes of the

Piacenza Cathedral Piacenza Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Piacenza), fully the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Giustina, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Piacenza, Italy. The current structure was built between 1122 and 1233 and is one of the most valuable examp ...

were removed in the late 19th century. He decorated the church of Corpus Domini (1688–1694) in Bologna. He painted 26 canvases of the ''Seductions and Loves of the Diana and Venus'' (1692-1700) for the Viennese palace (now

Liechtenstein Museum The Liechtenstein Museum is a private art museum in Vienna, Austria. It contains much of the art collection of its owners, the House of Liechtenstein, Princely Family of Liechtenstein, rulers of the principality of Liechtenstein. It includes import ...

) of Prince Johann Adam I of Liechtenstein. He also served as a buyer for the art-patron Prince. In Genoa, he also painted for the palaces Spinola and the Palazzo Pallavicini (now Podestà) (1715) of

. The latter had five large canvases of the history of Diana. Canvases depicting ''The Four Seasons'' (1716) are now found in the Pinacoteca di Bologna. There are two canvases of the ''Story of Rachel'' in the Pinacoteca B.P.E.R. He painted the "cartoons" used to make the mosaic decoration of the

Cappella del Coro Cappella may refer to: * Cappella (band), Italian electronic music group * a cappella, unaccompanied singing People with the surname * Felix Cappella (1930-2011), Canadian race walker * Scipione Cappella (fl. 18th century), Italian painter See ...

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

. Knighted by

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

, he was founding a member and a subsequent director of the

Clementine Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna ("academy of fine arts of Bologna") is a public tertiary academy of fine art in Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. It has a campus in Cesena. Giorgio Morandi taught engraving at the Accademia f ...

in Bologna. His paintings have an academic and idealist strain, even for a member of the Bolognese School of Painting. The sparse figures are severely arranged and often porcelain in features. He worked with a younger colleague,

Donato Creti Donato Creti (24 February 1671 – 31 January 1749) was an Italian painter of the Rococo period, active mostly in Bologna. Born in Cremona, he moved to Bologna, where he was a pupil of Lorenzo Pasinelli. He is described by Wittkower as the "Bol ...

. His style is often classified as ''Barochetto'', a mixture of

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

and

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

; but it also could be said the neoclassical influence of French artists was beginning to overtake the baroque tradition. Wittkower describes him as the "Bolognese

Maratta Carlo Maratta or Maratti (13 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian painter, active mostly in Rome, and known principally for his classicizing paintings executed in a Late Baroque Classical manner. Although he is part of the classical tradition ...

". Numerous painters worked and trained in his prolific studio. Among those who spent time as pupils, apprentices, or assistants were

, Luca Antonio Bistoia, Giacomo Boni, Francesco Caccianiga, Ferdinando del Cairo,

Antonio Cifrondi Antonio Cifrondi (June 11, 1655 – October 30, 1730) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque, mainly of genre themes. He was active in Brescia and near Bergamo. He was born to a poor mason in Clusone. After some local training. Cifrondi moved ...

, Gaetano Frattini,

Giacinto Garofalini Giacinto Garofalini (1661–1723) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna. He was initially a pupil of Donato Creti, then a pupil of the painter Marcantonio Franceschini. Also called ''Garofolini'' by Luigi Lanzi. He ...

, Carlo Cesare Giovannini,

Ercole Graziani The male first name Ercole, Italian version of Hercules, can refer to: People * Ercole (name), list of people with the name House of D'Este *Ercole I d'Este (1431–1505), Duke of Ferrara *Ercole II d'Este (1508–1559), Duke of Ferrara, Modena a ...

the elder, Girolamo Gatti, Pietro Gilardi, Giuseppe Marchesi (''il Sansone''), Michelangelo Monticelli,

Giuseppe Pedretti Giuseppe Pedretti (26 February 1697 – 27 May 1778) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period, active mainly in Bologna. Biography Born in Bologna, at the age of 15, he began training, despite the opposition of his family, ...

, Pietro Francesco Prina, Pietro Antonio Avanizi,

Antonio Rossi (painter) Antonio Rossi (1700–1753) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period, active mainly in Bologna. He was a pupil first of the painter Lorenzo Bergonzoni, and then of Marcantonio Franceschini. He was a member of the Accademia Cle ...

, Gentile Zanardi, and his son Jacopo. The

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest publi ...

(London), the

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single col ...

, the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...

of Vienna, the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, the Musei Civici of

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 ...

, the Museo Glauco Lombardi (Parma, Italy), the National Art Gallery of Bologna (Italy),

Bojnice Castle Bojnice Castle ( sk, Bojnický zámok, hu, Bajmóci vár) is a medieval castle in Bojnice, Slovakia. It is a Romanesque castle with some original Gothic and Renaissance elements built in the 12th century. Bojnice Castle is one of the most visit ...

(Slovakia) and the State Museums of Florence are among the public institutions holding paintings by Marcantonio Franceschini.

Gallery

File:Franceschini, Marcantonio - The Guardian Angel - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Guardian Angel'', 1716 File:Marcantonio Franceschini - Noli Me Tangere ("Touch me not") - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Noli me tangere'', circa 1700 File:Marcantonio Franceschini - Büßende Maria Magdalena - GG 225 - Kunsthistorisches Museum.jpg, ''Penitent

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

'', circa 1700–05 File:Marcantonio franceschini, madonna col bambino e cinque santi.jpg, ''Madonna and Child with Five Saints'' File:Marcantonio Franceschini Communion.jpg, ''The Last Communion of Saint Mary of Egypt'', 1680

Notes

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franceschini, Marcantonio 1648 births 1729 deaths 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters Painters from Bologna Italian Baroque painters 18th-century Italian male artists