Vincenzo Camuccini
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo Camuccini was an Italian
painter of Neoclassic
histories and religious paintings. He was considered the premier academic painter of his time in Rome
.
and first educated by his brother Pietro, a picture-restorer, and Pietro Leone Bombelli, an engraver. He also received training with Domenico Corvi
. Till nearly the age of thirty, he mainly dedicated himself to copying old masters. As an original painter, Camuccini belongs to the neoclassic
school fostered in Rome by Anton Raphael Mengs
. Camuccini's first major independent work, completed aroung 1798, was a large canvas of the Death of Caesar. This led to the assessment that Camuccini may have been influenced by David's classic Roman themes and style; but it is more likely both were emerging from the rising Neoclassic refocus towards images of and derived from Greco-Roman themes.
In 1800, he was commissioned an Incredulity of St. Thomas (copy of mosaic) by the Vatican. In 1806, Gaspare Landi
received a commission for two large canvases for the chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary in the church of San Giovanni in Piacenza
. Ultimately, the commission was split with Camuccini who painted a Presentation in the Temple. The canvases by the two artists were completed in
the early spring of 1806, and were exhibited side by side at the Pantheon
at Easter of that year.
A few years later, he was invited to Munich
and Paris
, the latter government had requested a painting on the Battle of Ratisbon, but he asked and obtain other topics. In Paris, he met both Napoleon, David, as well as Perodet, Gros, Regnault, and M. Gérard.
Of pictures on classic Greco-Roman history were:
He also painted:
He also painted a Betrothal of Psyche, and, jointly with Landi, he painted, in fresco, the ceiling of the Torlonia Palace.
As a portrait painter he attained considerable eminence; among the best he produced are those of Pope Pius VII (now in the Gallery at Vienna
); the Comte de Blacas
, Ambassador from France to the Holy See
; the King of Naples
; and the Queen of Naples
; The Countess Sehouvaloff; and the Countess von Dietrichstein (1829). Several of his works were engraved by Bettelini, and some have been lithographed by Scudellari, and published under the title of I Fasti principali della Vita di Gesú Cristo, with text in Italian
and French at Rome
, in 1829. Camuccini was appointed inspector-general of the Museums of the Pope, and of the Factory of Mosaics, and director of the Neapolitan Academy of Rome
. He was a member of the Institute of France, during some years president of the Academy of St. Luke. Pope Pius VII conferred upon him the title of Baron, with hereditary succession, and the Emperor Francis I the order of the Iron Crown. He died at Rome
in 1844.
He expended no small portion of his wealth in the purchase of a fine collection of objects of art. in 1856, the greater portion of the pictures, upwards of seventy in number, were purchased being bought by the duke of Northumberland
, who removed them to Alnwick Castle. They consist principally of the works of the Italian
masters living in the 16th and 17th centuries, with some specimens of an earlier date, and a few others of the Dutch and Flemish painters of the 17th century. He purchased a Raphael, known as 'Madonna of the Pinks
'.
On September 9, 1833, excavations at the Pantheon
brought to light the tomb of Raphael
, and Camuccini was commissioned to draw the archeologic discovery, which he did with religious precision, as if a new holy martyr, but this time for art, had been discovered.
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...
painter of Neoclassic
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
histories and religious paintings. He was considered the premier academic painter of his time 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...
.
Biography
Camuccini was born at RomeRome
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 first educated by his brother Pietro, a picture-restorer, and Pietro Leone Bombelli, an engraver. He also received training with Domenico Corvi
Domenico Corvi
Domenico Corvi was an Italian painter at the close of the 18th century, active in an early Neoclassic style in Rome and surrounding sites.-Biography:...
. Till nearly the age of thirty, he mainly dedicated himself to copying old masters. As an original painter, Camuccini belongs to the neoclassic
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
school fostered in Rome by Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs
Anton Raphael Mengs was a German painter, active in Rome, Madrid and Saxony, who became one of the precursors to Neoclassical painting.- Biography :Mengs was born in 1728 at Ústí nad Labem in Bohemia...
. Camuccini's first major independent work, completed aroung 1798, was a large canvas of the Death of Caesar. This led to the assessment that Camuccini may have been influenced by David's classic Roman themes and style; but it is more likely both were emerging from the rising Neoclassic refocus towards images of and derived from Greco-Roman themes.
In 1800, he was commissioned an Incredulity of St. Thomas (copy of mosaic) by the Vatican. In 1806, Gaspare Landi
Gaspare Landi
Gaspare Landi was an Italian painter of the Neoclassic period, active in Rome and his native city of Piacenza....
received a commission for two large canvases for the chapel of the Madonna of the Rosary in the church of San Giovanni in Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
. Ultimately, the commission was split with Camuccini who painted a Presentation in the Temple. The canvases by the two artists were completed in
the early spring of 1806, and were exhibited side by side at the Pantheon
Pantheon, Rome
The Pantheon ,Rarely Pantheum. This appears in Pliny's Natural History in describing this edifice: Agrippae Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis; in columnis templi eius Caryatides probantur inter pauca operum, sicut in fastigio posita signa, sed propter altitudinem loci minus celebrata.from ,...
at Easter of that year.
A few years later, he was invited to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the latter government had requested a painting on the Battle of Ratisbon, but he asked and obtain other topics. In Paris, he met both Napoleon, David, as well as Perodet, Gros, Regnault, and M. Gérard.
- Horatius Cocles.
- Romulus and Remus.
- Departure of Regulus for Carthage.
- Death of Virginia.
- Continence of Scipio.
- Death of CaesarIdes of MarchThe Ides of March is the name of the 15th day of March in the Roman calendar, probably referring to the day of the full moon. The word Ides comes from the Latin word "Idus" and means "half division" especially in relation to a month. It is a word that was used widely in the Roman calendar...
.
He also painted:
- Incredulity of St. Thomas reproduced in mosaic in St. Peter's at RomeRomeRome 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...
. - Presentation in the Temple for San Giovanni at PiacenzaPiacenzaPiacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
. - Death of the Magdalen.
- The Entombment painted for Charles IV of SpainCharles IV of SpainCharles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
. - The Apparition of Christ in Limbo (1829)
- Conversion of St. Paul (1834) for the basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome.
- Romolo and Remo's discovery
He also painted a Betrothal of Psyche, and, jointly with Landi, he painted, in fresco, the ceiling of the Torlonia Palace.
As a portrait painter he attained considerable eminence; among the best he produced are those of Pope Pius VII (now in the Gallery at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
); the Comte de Blacas
Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas
Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas d'Aulps, first comte, then duc, and finally prince de Blacas d'Aulps was a French antiquarian, nobleman and diplomat during the Bourbon Restoration.-Youth:He was baptized at Avignon on 11 January 1771...
, Ambassador from France to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
; the King of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
; and the Queen of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
; The Countess Sehouvaloff; and the Countess von Dietrichstein (1829). Several of his works were engraved by Bettelini, and some have been lithographed by Scudellari, and published under the title of I Fasti principali della Vita di Gesú Cristo, with text in Italian
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...
and French at 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...
, in 1829. Camuccini was appointed inspector-general of the Museums of the Pope, and of the Factory of Mosaics, and director of the Neapolitan Academy of 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...
. He was a member of the Institute of France, during some years president of the Academy of St. Luke. Pope Pius VII conferred upon him the title of Baron, with hereditary succession, and the Emperor Francis I the order of the Iron Crown. He died at 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...
in 1844.
He expended no small portion of his wealth in the purchase of a fine collection of objects of art. in 1856, the greater portion of the pictures, upwards of seventy in number, were purchased being bought by the duke of Northumberland
Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland
Algernon George Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland KG, PC , styled Lord Lovaine between 1830 and 1865 and Earl Percy between 1865 and 1867, was a British Conservative politician...
, who removed them to Alnwick Castle. They consist principally of the works of the Italian
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...
masters living in the 16th and 17th centuries, with some specimens of an earlier date, and a few others of the Dutch and Flemish painters of the 17th century. He purchased a Raphael, known as 'Madonna of the Pinks
Madonna of the Pinks
The Madonna of the Pinks is an early devotional painting usually attributed to Italian Renaissance master Raphael. It is painted in oils on fruitwood and now hangs in the National Gallery, London....
'.
On September 9, 1833, excavations at the Pantheon
Pantheon, Rome
The Pantheon ,Rarely Pantheum. This appears in Pliny's Natural History in describing this edifice: Agrippae Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis; in columnis templi eius Caryatides probantur inter pauca operum, sicut in fastigio posita signa, sed propter altitudinem loci minus celebrata.from ,...
brought to light the tomb of Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
, and Camuccini was commissioned to draw the archeologic discovery, which he did with religious precision, as if a new holy martyr, but this time for art, had been discovered.