Luigi Schiavonetti (1 April 1765 – 7 June 1810) was an Italian reproductive
engraver and
etcher
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
.
Life
Luigi Schiavonetti was born at Bassano in
Venetia. He was the maternal nephew of
Teodoro Viero.
After having studied art for several years he was employed by Testolini, an engraver of very indifferent abilities, to execute imitations of
Bartolozzi Bartolozzi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bruno Bartolozzi (1911–1980), Italian composer
* Francesco Bartolozzi
__NOTOC__
Francesco Bartolozzi (21 September 1727, in Florence – 7 March 1815, in Lisbon) was ...
's works, which he passed off as his own. In 1790, Testolini was invited by Bartolozzi to join him in England, and, it having been discovered that Schiavonetti, who accompanied him, had executed the plates in question, he was employed by Bartolozzi and became an eminent engraver in both the line and the
stipple manner. Among his early works are four plates of subjects from the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, after
Peter Paul Benazech.
Schiavonetti engraved a drawing of
Maria Cosway that her husband, the artist
Richard Cosway, had drawn.
He also engraved a portrait that Maria Cosway had commissioned that was the first portrait of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
seen in Britain.
He also produced a "Mater Dolorosa" after
Van Dyck, and
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...
's
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...
of the
Battle of Cascina
The Battle of Cascina was an engagement between Pisan and Florentine troops on 28 July 1364 near Cascina, modern-day Italy. Florence's victory followed a recent defeat to Pisan forces that had enabled mercenary John Hawkwood, who was in comma ...
depicting the "Surprise of the Soldiers on the Banks of the Arno." From 1805 to 1808, he was engaged in etching
William Blake
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of t ...
's designs to
Blair
Blair is an English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin. The surname is derived from any of the numerous places in Scotland called ''Blair'', derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''blàr'', meaning "plain", "meadow" or "field", frequently a “ba ...
's ''Grave'', which, with a portrait of the artist engraved by Schiavonetti after
Thomas Phillips RA, were published in 1808. The etching of
Stothard's "Canterbury Pilgrims" was one of his latest works, and on his death the plate was taken up by his brother
Niccolo, and finally completed by
James Heath James Heath may refer to:
* James Heath (historian) (1629–1664), English royalist historian
* James Heath (engraver) (1757–1834), English engraver
* James P. Heath (1777–1854), U.S. congressman from Maryland
* James E. Heath (active since 1 ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schiavonetti, Luigi
1765 births
1810 deaths
Italian engravers