Ludovico Mazzanti Italian, 1686-1775

 

Born in Rome in 1686, at the age of 14, Mazzanti moved to Rome to apprentice under Giovan Battista Gaulli, known as "Il Baciccia." During this period, he became immersed in the cultural environment of early 18th-century Rome, shaped by the interplay between Baroque and Classical aesthetics.

 

In 1708, he won first prize in the competitions of the Accademia di San Luca, presided over by Carlo Maratta and Giovan Battista Gaulli. A few years later, in 1713, he painted the upper triangular section of the façade of the Orvieto Cathedral, inspired by Giovanni Lanfranco's Coronation of the Virgin.

 

Mazzanti worked across multiple Italian regions, including Umbria, Lazio, and Tuscany. Between 1733 and 1740, he settled in Naples, painting frescoes for several churches, including the Church of the Nunziatella. In 1744, he was elected to the Accademia di San Luca and became an Arcadian poet under the name Oropito Teoclideo. In 1748, he joined Bologna’s Accademia Clementina.

 

Throughout his career, Mazzanti produced numerous significant works, marked by his rich creativity and refined compositions, making him one of the most notable exponents of Roman Rococo.

 

He passed away in Viterbo in 1775.

 

 

Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)