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