Michele Gordigiani (

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 an ...

, May 29, 1835 – Florence, October 7, 1909) was an Italian painter, known best for his portraits.

Biography

Gordigiani was the son of a famous Florentine musician. He first studied at the

Academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

in Florence under

Giuseppe Bezzuoli Giuseppe Bezzuoli (28 November 1784 – 13 September 1855) was an Italian painter of the Neoclassicism, Neoclassic period, active in Milan, Rome, and his native city of Florence. Biography He studied as a young man under Jean-Baptiste Desmarais a ...

, then Luigi Norcini and

Silvestro Lega Silvestro Lega (8 December 1826 – 21 September 1895) was an Italian Realism (art), realist painter. He was one of the leading artists of the Macchiaioli and was also involved with the Mazzini movement. Biography He was born in Modigliana, nea ...

; he also worked in the studios of

Luigi Mussini Luigi Mussini (19 December 1813 – 18 June 1888) was an Italian painter, linked especially to the Purismo movement and to the Nazarene movement, Nazarenes. Life Mussini was born in Berlin, son of the composer Natale Mussini, ''Kapellmeister ...

and Adolph Sturler. In 1855, he frequented the

Caffè Michelangiolo Caffè Michelangiolo was a historic café in Florence, located in Via Larga (now renamed Via Cavour). During the nineteenth century Wars of Italian Independence, it became a major meeting place for Tuscan writers and artists, and for patriots and ...

along with his brother Anatolio, where he met many of the

Macchiaioli The Macchiaioli () were a group of Italian painters active in Tuscany in the second half of the nineteenth century. They strayed from antiquated conventions taught by the Italian art academies, and did much of their painting outdoors in order to ...

painters. He painted a portrait of the Piedmontese painter, Ludovico Raymond, who also spent time at the Caffè. He was invited to Paris in 1860 by his friend,

Virginia Oldoini Virginia Oldoïni Rapallini, Countess of Castiglione (22 March 1837 – 28 November 1899), better known as La Castiglione, was an Italian aristocrat who achieved notoriety as a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France. She was also a significant ...

, the Countess of Castiglione. He was in much demand as a portrait painter, and among his subjects were King Vittorio Emanuele II, his daughter-in-law Queen Margherita, and the Count of Cavour. In 1867 in London, he painted portraits of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, and her consort, Prince Albert. He also painted portraits (1898-1899) of

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

and her husband

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings ...

, now in the National Portrait Gallery. In London, he participated at the exhibition of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

. Due to his friendship with

, he was a member of the commission for the triennial contest for painting at the Sienese institute of Art. In this period, his colleagues and friends included the writers and intellectuals

Andrea Maffei Andrea Maffei (1798 – 1885) was an Italian poet, translator and librettist. He was born in Molina di Ledro, Trentino. A follower of Vincenzo Monti, he formed part of the 19th-century Italian classicist literary culture. Gaining laurea in juris ...

Edmondo De Amicis Edmondo De Amicis (; 21 October 1846 – 11 March 1908) was an Italian novelist, journalist, poet, and short-story writer. His best-known book is ''Cuore'', a children's novel translated into English as ''Heart''. Early career Born in Oneglia (to ...

, and Enrico Nencioni. He also painted costume genre subjects, as well as mythology, and small landscapes. His genre scenes did not prove commercially successful. In 1896 he sent works to the Florentine Exhibition of Art and Flowers and at the Second Venice Biennale. In 1909 moved to America, where he continued to work as a portrait artist.Pinacoteca Livorno
short biography extracted from La pittura in Italia - l'Ottocento. Electa , Milano 1992 . Among his pupils were Fosco Tricca, Francesca Magliani, Pompeo Massani, and Alfredo Müller.

Gallery

Gordigiani Chulalongkorn 1898.jpg, ''King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

of Siam'' (1898) Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury by Michele Gordigiani.jpg, ''Portrait of

Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury, (30 June 1800 – 20 July 1873) was a British lawyer, judge and Liberal politician. He served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain between 1861 and 1865. He was knighted in 1852 and raised to the peerag ...

'' Margheritaqueen.jpg, ''Queen

Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to Umberto I. Life Early life Margherita was born to Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabeth ...

'' Michele Gordigiani - Portrait of Sarah Choate Sears - 1878.jpg, ''Portrait of

Sarah Choate Sears Sarah Choate Sears (1858–1935) was an American art collector, art patron, cultural entrepreneur, artist and photographer. Early life Sears, née Sarah Carlisle Choate, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on 5 May 1858, the daughter of Charle ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordigiani, Michele 1835 births 1909 deaths 19th-century Italian painters 19th-century Italian male artists Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters Painters from Florence Portrait painters 20th-century Italian male artists