Innocenzo Spinazzi
Encyclopedia
Innocenzo Spinazzi was an Italian
sculptor of the Rococo
period active in Rome
and Florence
.
. In Rome, he completed the statue of St Joseph Calasanctius (1755) for the nave of St Peter's Basilica.
He arrived in Florence in 1769, and the next year was named official court sculptor in 1770. Grand Duke Leopold (later Emperor Leopold II
) first employed him to restore antique sculpture. He completed a portrait bust of Grand Duke Leopoldo (1771-74; Pitti). Spinazzi contributed monuments to three celebrated Florentines for the church of Santa Croce
: jurist Giovanni Lami
(died 1770); Angelo Tavanti (died 1782); and author Niccolò Machiavelli
(1787). In 1792 he added an angel to the Baptism by Andrea Sansovino
and Vincenzo Danti
above the Porta del Paradiso of the Baptistery of Florence. His virtuoso marble figures of heavily veiled women, for example Faith (1781; S Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi) and Religion (from the tomb of Varvara Jakovlevna, Princess Beloselskij, 1794; Turin, Museo Civico), follow precedents set by Antonio Corradini
in Naples. Spinazzi was professor of sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, from 1784.
He died at Florence in 1792.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
sculptor of the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
period active in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Biography
Born in Rome to a silversmith, he became the leading sculptor in Florence, where he died. He was trained by Giovanni Battista MainiGiovanni Battista Maini
Giovanni Battista Maini was an Italian sculptor of the Late-Baroque period, active mainly in Rome.He was born in Cassano Magnago in Lombardy, and died in Rome. He may have had contacts with Foggini in Florence. By 1708, he had moved to Rome where he joined the large studio of Camillo Rusconi,...
. In Rome, he completed the statue of St Joseph Calasanctius (1755) for the nave of St Peter's Basilica.
He arrived in Florence in 1769, and the next year was named official court sculptor in 1770. Grand Duke Leopold (later Emperor Leopold II
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
) first employed him to restore antique sculpture. He completed a portrait bust of Grand Duke Leopoldo (1771-74; Pitti). Spinazzi contributed monuments to three celebrated Florentines for the church of Santa Croce
Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze
The Basilica di Santa Croce is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south east of the Duomo. The site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls...
: jurist Giovanni Lami
Giovanni Lami
Giovanni Lami was a jurist, Church historian, and antiquarian. Born at Santa Croce sull'Arno in 1697, he studied at the University of Pisa and obtained his doctorate of law in 1719. He was the prefect of the Biblioteca Pallavicini at Genoa and later president of the Biblioteca Riccardiana at...
(died 1770); Angelo Tavanti (died 1782); and author Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...
(1787). In 1792 he added an angel to the Baptism by Andrea Sansovino
Andrea Sansovino
Andrea dal Monte Sansovino or Andrea Contucci del Monte San Savino was an Italian sculptor active during the High Renaissance...
and Vincenzo Danti
Vincenzo Danti
Vincenzo Danti was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Perugia.His father was an architect and goldsmith, and Vincenzo developed an interest in drawing and goldsmithing. In 1545 he went to Rome to study sculpture and in 1553 he managed to secure a commission for a bronze statue of Pope Julius III...
above the Porta del Paradiso of the Baptistery of Florence. His virtuoso marble figures of heavily veiled women, for example Faith (1781; S Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi) and Religion (from the tomb of Varvara Jakovlevna, Princess Beloselskij, 1794; Turin, Museo Civico), follow precedents set by Antonio Corradini
Antonio Corradini
Antonio Corradini was a Venetian Rococo sculptor.Corradini was born in Este and worked mainly in the Veneto, but also completed commissions for work outside Venice, including Naples....
in Naples. Spinazzi was professor of sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, from 1784.
He died at Florence in 1792.