The Gagini or Gaggini were a family of

architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

sculptors Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

, originally from

Bissone Bissone is a municipality in the district of Lugano, in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Bissone is first mentioned in 735 and again in 854 as ''Blixuni''. In German it was known as ''Byssen'', though that name is no longer used. I ...

Lake Lugano __NOTOC__ Lake Lugano ( it, Lago di Lugano or , from la, Ceresius lacus; lmo, Lagh de Lugan) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated ...

. This family founded Sicily's Gagini school, which flourished until the mid-1600s.

Notable members

One of the most notable members include Domenico, who founded such school. One of the earliest records of his name involved a contract concluded in 1463, commissioning a monument in the church of the convent of San Francesco, Palermo, for Pietro Speciale. His son,

Antonello Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina ( 1430February 1479), was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Early Italian Renaissance. ...

, is considered the most important of the Gaginis and one of his works was the decorated arch in the Capella della Madonna in

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

's Santuario dell'Annunziata. He was also known for the decorations of the apse of the

Palermo cathedral Palermo Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palermo, located in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. As an architectural complex, it is characterized by the pre ...

in 1510 and the statue of St. George and the Dragon with panels inside the Church of San Francesco D'Assisi.

Bibliography

* Gioacchino Di Marzo, ''I Gagini e la scultura in Sicilia nei secoli XV e XVI'', Palermo 1884

References

External links

opere di maestri ticinesi: Domenico Gaggini, Antonello Gaggini, etc.
Italian families Architects from Sicily People from Lugano District Families of Genoa {{Italy-architect-stub