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Cosimo Fanzago (Clusone, 12 October 1591 – Napoli, 13 February 1678) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
architect 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
sculptor 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 sc ...
, generally considered the greatest such artist of the
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
period in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Facade Santa Maria della Sapienza.


Biography

Fanzago was born in Clusone (current
Province of Bergamo The Province of Bergamo ( it, provincia di Bergamo; lmo, proìnsa de Bèrghem) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of 1,112,187 (2017), an area of , and contains 243 '' comuni''. Its capital is the city of Bergamo. ...
) in a family of bronze-casters and architects. In 1608, after a short stay in
Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and '' comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo regi ...
, he moved to Naples. Here (according to what he wrote in 1612) he trained as a marble sculptor (''maestro di scultura di marmo'') and mason under the Tuscan sculptor Angelo Landi. His first important work was the sepulchre monument of Mario
Carafa Carafa is a surname held by: * Tony Carafa, Australian rules footballer * Members of the house of Carafa The House of Carafa or Caraffa is the name of an old and influential Neapolitan aristocratic family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of a ...
, a relative of Cardinal Carafa. His architectural debut was the design of San Giuseppe dei Vecchi a San Potito (completed 1669). According to an essay about Fanzago's life by count Fogaccia, in Naples he obtained the support of the Benedictines, the Viceroy Duke of Medina, Prince
Caracciolo Caracciolo () is an Italian surname most associated with the noble House of Carácciolo from the Kingdom of Naples. Other people with the name include: * Alberto Caracciolo, Argentinian musician * Andrea Caracciolo, Italian footballer * Battistel ...
and the Carthusians, and soon opened a workshop of his own. 150px, Facade for S. Maria Egiziaca left, 150px, Plan for S. Maria Egiziaca Apparently he sympathised with
Masaniello Masaniello (, ; an abbreviation of Tommaso Aniello; 29 June 1620 – 16 July 1647) was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in the Kingdom of Naples. Name and place of birth Until recen ...
's revolt, and after the return of Royal authority, Fanzago was sentenced to death and had to flee to Rome, where he worked for a decade. He returned to Naples and designed the initial layout church of
Santa Maria Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone Santa Maria Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic, Basilica church on the street of the titular name in the hill of Pizzofalcone, in the historic center of Naples, region of Campania, Italy. The church layout was initially de ...
(built 1651–1717). This church displays a Greek cross plan, and resembles a hybrid of contemporary Baroque masterpieces by
Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...
(dome resembles Sant'Andrea al Quirinale) and Borromini (the plan resembles Sant'Agnese).Rudolf Wittkower, pages 303-4. He also designed the church of Santa Teresa a Chiaia. His last great church was
Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the large ...
, built between 1653 and 1675. Fanzago died at an age of 87 years. One of his pupils was
Lorenzo Vaccaro Lorenzo Vaccaro (1655 – 10 August 1706) was an Italian late-Baroque sculptor. He worked in a formalized restrained style. He was born in Naples, the son of a lawyer. He apprenticed with Cosimo Fanzago and Dionisio Lazzari. He was a close fr ...
.


Main works in Naples

His works in Naples include: *''Guglia di
San Gennaro Januarius ( ; la, Ianuarius; Neapolitan and it, Gennaro), also known as , was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, late ...
'': a votive spire in honor of the patron saint of Naples. It imitates the large portable ephemeral decorations common in religious processions *model for two other prominent spires, which he helped plan (at the Piazza del
Gesù Nuovo Gesù Nuovo ( it, New Jesus) is the name of a church and a square in Naples, Italy. They are located just outside the western boundary of the historic center of the city. To the southeast of the spire, one can see a block away the Fountain of Mon ...
and the Piazza San Domenico Maggiore). It was a so-called "plague column"; that is, a spire built in thanks for having been spared from the recent epidemic. *Extensive work on the
Certosa di San Martino The (" Charterhouse of St. Martin") is a former monastery complex, now a museum, in Naples, southern Italy. Along with Castel Sant'Elmo that stands beside it, this is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that comman ...
, including the spectacular central courtyard with its large portals and busts of Carthusian saints. The church and cloisters are considered to be his masterpiece. The Carthusians paid Fanzago 57,000 ducats over 33 years of work. Between 1660 and 1700, a lawsuit alleging underpayment by the monks wound its way through the Neapolitan courts. *The facades or facade details of numerous churches, chapels, and civic buildings, including '' Santa Maria degli Angeli'' (near the Botanical Gardens), anonymous works within the
Cathedral of Naples The Naples Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Napoli; nap, Viscuvato 'e Napule), or Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary ( it, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, links=no), is a Roman Catholic cathedral, the main church of Naples, southern Italy, and the ...
, the ''Chiesa dell'Ascensione a Chiaia'' (1622); the facade of ''
Santa Maria della Sapienza Santa Maria della Sapienza is a Roman Catholic church, located on Via Costantinopoli in central Naples, Italy. Facade History In 1507, the cardinal Oliviero Carafa, archbishop of Naples, began plans for construction at the site a University ''del ...
'' (1638–41); the bronze gate of the chapel of the royal treasury; and the original design for church of ''San Francesco Saverio'' (now San Ferdinando, across the square from the Royal Palace); *The Cacace Chapel and Chapel of Saint Anthony in San Lorenzo Maggiore. *Altars within churches, such as in Santa Maria la Nova,
Santi Severino e Sossio The church of Santi Severino e Sossio and the annexed monastery are located on via Bartolommeo Capasso in Naples, Italy. The church is attached to one of the oldest monasteries in the city, and from 1835 it has housed the State Archives of Naple ...
,
Santa Maria di Costantinopoli The Church of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli is a 16th-century Roman Catholic church located on the street of the same name in Naples, Italy, and located a block north of the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples. History Its name is allied to the cu ...
, and the church of
San Pietro a Maiella San Pietro a Majella is a church in Naples, Italy. The term may also refer to the adjacent Naples music conservatory, which occupies the premises of the monastery that used to form a single complex with the church. The church stands at the we ...
(the site now of the music conservatory). *Public fountains, including the Fontana del Gigante near Santa Lucia and the Sebeto Fountain at Mergellina. * Villa Donn'Anna at Posillipo. *A number of works outside of Naples, including within the Benedictine
Abbey of Montecassino An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...
and San Nicola in Venice.


References


External links



*
Jusepe de Ribera, 1591-1652
', a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes material on Cosimo Fanzago (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fanzago, Cosimo 1591 births 1678 deaths 17th-century Italian architects Architects from Naples People from Clusone 17th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors Catholic sculptors