
Carlo Magini (1720–1806) was an Italian painter of the late-
Baroque period and one of the most original of the 18th century Italian still life artists.
[Carlo Magini (1720-Fano - 1806) A Pair of Still Lives]
at Lorenzilli, accessed 17 March 2016
Life
He was born on 16 September 1720 in
Fano
Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by popul ...
, region of the Marche. Carlo was the son of Francis Magini, a goldsmith. His mother, Elizabeth Ceccarini, was the sister of the painter
Sebastiano Ceccarini
Sebastiano Ceccarini (1703–1783), born in Fano
Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adria ...
. Little is known about the details of the life of Carlo. It is possible he trained with his uncle Sebastiano. In 1736, the
Oratorians in
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and par ...
commissioned Sebastiano Ceccarini to paint frescos in the Chapel of the Crucifix in their church of
San Filippo San Filippo may refer to:
* San Filippo syndrome, rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease
* San Filippo del Mela, comune in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily
* San Filippo, Matelica, a Baroque-style, Roman Ca ...
. Sebastiano Ceccarini asked to be allowed to bring his nephew to help. The nephew was likely Carlo Magini, who would follow his uncle during his journeys - through cities like Urbino, Perugia, Bologna, Florence and Venice between 1735 and 1738. Carlo Magini was present in Rome in 1742 and in 1743.
By 1748 the artist had returned to Fano where he married Michelina Polinori of
Pesaro
Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the March ...
on July 14 of that year. Their eldest daughter Francesca was born on 30 March 1750. He remained active in his hometown where he died in 1806.
Work
Magini mainly painted still life subjects, mainly specialising in breakfast or
bodegón style pieces, depicting mainly table settings with different, apparently unrelated, elements in juxtaposition. He was also recorded, but far less recognized, as a portrait painter. His known works amounting to about 100 canvases have been attributed on the basis of a number of signed pieces. A number of works are displayed at the Quadreria della Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Fano in Fano.
Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Fano
It is difficult to establish a timeline for his still lifes as the works were never dated and rarely, if at all, documented.[Carlo Magini, (Fano 1720 - 1806), ''Still Life with Eggs, Cabbage and Candlestick'' and ''Still Life with Cup, Bottle, Clay Pot and Candlestick'']
at Galerie Canesso, accessed 17 March 2016
His compositions appear simple, but are typically very artfully composed. Magini was interested in exploring the relationships between form, color, light, shadow and textures.[Carlo Magini (Fano 1720-1806), ''An oil lamp, ceramics, brass lantern, knife, onion and calf's head'']
at Christie's, accessed 17 March 2016 His canvases are all composed along the same severe lines, avoiding any baroque frivolity and yet achieve a highly original and effective naturalist aesthetic.[ The work of Magini stands in the tradition of Caravaggio, Velázquez and his near-contemporaries the Spaniard Luis Egidio Meléndez and the Frenchman ]Chardin Chardin is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, (1699–1779), French painter noted for his still life works
* Jean Chardin, (1643–1713), French jeweller and traveller, author of ''The Trave ...
.[
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Notes
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magini, Carlo
1720 births
1806 deaths
18th-century Italian painters
Italian male painters
19th-century Italian painters
Italian still life painters
People from Fano
19th-century Italian male artists
18th-century Italian male artists