Antonio Raggi
Encyclopedia
Antonio Raggi also called Antonio Lombardo, was a sculptor of the Roman Baroque
, originating from Ticino
.
on the Lake Lugano
. His mentor in Rome for nearly three decades was Gianlorenzo Bernini. He initially joined the studio of Alessandro Algardi
, but none of his work there is independently recognized and by 1647, like Ercole Ferrata
, Raggi was working for Bernini, for whom he was to become his closest and most prolific pupil. "In most cases Bernini supplied Raggi with detailed modelli and supervised his work closely enough so that Raggi's statues express Bernini's conceit almost as well as a statue from Bernini's own hand."
He completed the stucco decoration of San Tomaso di Villanova in Castel Gandolfo
(1660-1), the stucco decoration of Bernini's Sant'Andrea
1662-1665), the statues of Saint Bernardino and Pope Alexander VII
Chigi for Duomo di Siena
and the Virgin and Child in Saint Joseph des Carmes in Paris (1650–51). He made the Baptism of Christ for Borromini's altar of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini
(c. 1665). Recently-discovered documentation shows that he provided the kneeling figure of Saint Bernardino of Siena (1656–57) in Alexander VII
's chapel at Santa Maria della Pace
, and the two pairs of putti holding portrait medallions on the façade.
His masterpiece is the marble relief of the Death of Saint Cecilia, in the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone
, Piazza Navona. Here it can be contrasted with the relief by Algardi's pupil Ercole Ferrata
, of the Stoning of Santa Emerenziana.
Raggi was instrumental in completing illusionistic stucco
decoration accompanying Giovanni Battista Gaulli
's ceiling fresco as other stucco figures in the Church of the Gesù
. He was helped by Leonardo Retti, Michele Maglia, and Paolo Naldini. His stucco Saint Andrew (early 1660s) in Sant' Andrea della Valle, follows Bernini's design depicting the emaciated apostle rising to Heaven on a wisp of cloud amid a swirl of drapery.
He completed one of the ten angels carrying instruments of the Passion on the Ponte Sant'Angelo
(illustration), based on a sketch provided by Bernini
, and the statue of the Danube (carved in 1650-51) in Bernini's Fountain of Four Rivers
in Piazza Navona
. He was elected to the Accademia di San Luca
on 1 July 1657. Raggi died in Rome.
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
, originating from Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
.
Biography
He was born in Vico MorcoteVico Morcote
Vico Morcote is a municipality in the district of in the Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.-Geography:Vico Morcote has an area, , of . Of this area, or 16.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 72.8% is forested...
on the Lake Lugano
Lake Lugano
Lake Lugano is a glacial lake in the south-east of Switzerland, at the border between Switzerland and Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situated between Lake Como and Lago Maggiore...
. His mentor in Rome for nearly three decades was Gianlorenzo Bernini. He initially joined the studio of Alessandro Algardi
Alessandro Algardi
Alessandro Algardi was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome, where for the latter decades of his life, he was the major rival of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.-Early years:...
, but none of his work there is independently recognized and by 1647, like Ercole Ferrata
Ercole Ferrata
Ercole Ferrata was an Italian sculptor of the Roman Baroque.-Biography:A native of Pellio Inferiore, near Como, Ferrata initially apprenticed with Alessandro Algardi, and became one of his prime assistants...
, Raggi was working for Bernini, for whom he was to become his closest and most prolific pupil. "In most cases Bernini supplied Raggi with detailed modelli and supervised his work closely enough so that Raggi's statues express Bernini's conceit almost as well as a statue from Bernini's own hand."
He completed the stucco decoration of San Tomaso di Villanova in Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo is a small Italian town or comune in Lazio that occupies a height overlooking Lake Albano about 15 miles south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills. It is best known as the summer residence of the Pope. It is an Italian town with the population of 8834...
(1660-1), the stucco decoration of Bernini's Sant'Andrea
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
The Church of Saint Andrew's at the Quirinal is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, built for of the Jesuit seminary on the Quirinal Hill....
1662-1665), the statues of Saint Bernardino and Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
Chigi for Duomo di Siena
Duomo di Siena
The Cathedral of Siena , dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church and now to Santa Maria Assunta , is a medieval church in Siena, central Italy....
and the Virgin and Child in Saint Joseph des Carmes in Paris (1650–51). He made the Baptism of Christ for Borromini's altar of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini
San Giovanni dei Fiorentini
San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, St John of the Florentines, is a church in the Ponte rione or district of Rome. Dedicated to St John the Baptist, the protector of Florence, the new church for the Florentine community in Rome was started in the 16th century and completed in early eighteenth and is the...
(c. 1665). Recently-discovered documentation shows that he provided the kneeling figure of Saint Bernardino of Siena (1656–57) in Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
's chapel at Santa Maria della Pace
Santa Maria della Pace
Santa Maria della Pace is a church in Rome, central Italy, not far from Piazza Navona.The current building was built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis in 1482, commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV. The church was rededicated to the Virgin Mary to remember a...
, and the two pairs of putti holding portrait medallions on the façade.
His masterpiece is the marble relief of the Death of Saint Cecilia, in the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone
Sant'Agnese in Agone
Sant'Agnese in Agone is a seventeenth century Baroque church in Rome, Italy. It faces onto the Piazza Navona, one of the main urban spaces in the historic centre of the city and the site where the Early Christian Saint Agnes was martyred in the ancient Stadium of Domitian.The rebuilding of the...
, Piazza Navona. Here it can be contrasted with the relief by Algardi's pupil Ercole Ferrata
Ercole Ferrata
Ercole Ferrata was an Italian sculptor of the Roman Baroque.-Biography:A native of Pellio Inferiore, near Como, Ferrata initially apprenticed with Alessandro Algardi, and became one of his prime assistants...
, of the Stoning of Santa Emerenziana.
Raggi was instrumental in completing illusionistic stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
decoration accompanying Giovanni Battista Gaulli
Giovanni Battista Gaulli
Giovanni Battista Gaulli , also known as Baciccio, Il Baciccio or Baciccia , was a painter of the Italian High Baroque verging onto that of the Rococo...
's ceiling fresco as other stucco figures in the Church of the Gesù
Church of the Gesu
The Church of the Gesù is the mother church of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. Officially named , its facade is "the first truly baroque façade", introducing the baroque style into architecture ,. The church served as model for innumerable Jesuit...
. He was helped by Leonardo Retti, Michele Maglia, and Paolo Naldini. His stucco Saint Andrew (early 1660s) in Sant' Andrea della Valle, follows Bernini's design depicting the emaciated apostle rising to Heaven on a wisp of cloud amid a swirl of drapery.
He completed one of the ten angels carrying instruments of the Passion on the Ponte Sant'Angelo
Ponte Sant'Angelo
Ponte Sant'Angelo, once the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, meaning the Bridge of Hadrian, is a Roman bridge in Rome, Italy, completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian, to span the Tiber, from the city center to his newly constructed mausoleum, now the towering Castel Sant'Angelo...
(illustration), based on a sketch provided by Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...
, and the statue of the Danube (carved in 1650-51) in Bernini's Fountain of Four Rivers
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or "Fountain of the Four Rivers" is a fountain in Rome, Italy, located in the urban square of the Piazza Navona...
in Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans came there to watch the agones , and hence it was known as 'Circus Agonalis'...
. He was elected to the Accademia di San Luca
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
on 1 July 1657. Raggi died in Rome.