Francesco Casanova Battaglia di cavalleria

Francesco Giuseppe Casanova (1 June 1727, London – 8 July 1803, near

Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian Mödling (district), district of the same name located approximately 15 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises ...

) was an Italian painter who specialised in battle scenes. His older brother was

Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (; ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...

, the famous adventurer, and his younger brother was

Giovanni Casanova Giovanni Battista Casanova (; 2 November 1730 – 8 December 1795) was an Italian painter and printmaker of the Neoclassicism, Neoclassic period. He was a brother of Giacomo Casanova and Francesco Giuseppe Casanova and was born in Venice. He ...

; also a well-known painter.

Biography

He was born in London, where his parents, Zanetta Farussi, an actress, and

Gaetano Casanova Gaetano Casanova (2 April 1697, Parma – 18 December 1733, Venice) was an Italian actor and ballet dancer. His eldest son was the famous adventurer, Giacomo Casanova. Biography Gaetano Giuseppe Giacomo Casanova was born to Giacomo Casanova (whose ...

, an actor and dancer, had a theatrical engagement. It was rumoured that his father was actually the Prince of Wales (who shortly after became King George II); whether for scurrilous motives or publicity is unclear. They returned to Venice when he was still young and, after his father's death in 1733, he and his siblings were placed in the care of the

Grimani family The House of Grimani was a prominent Venetian patrician family, including three Doges of Venice. They were active in trade, politics and later the ownership of theatres and opera-houses. Notable members Notable members included: * Antonio Gri ...

. His career began in the workshops of

Giovanni Antonio Guardi Giovanni Antonio Guardi (1699 – 23 January 1760), also known as Gianantonio Guardi, was an Italian painter and nobleman. Guardi was one of the founders of the Venetian Academy in 1756. Biography He was born in Vienna into a family of nobili ...

,Brief biography
from the Enciclopedia Italiana @

Treccani Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani ...

. a very unpleasant time for him, according to the memoirs of his brother Giacomo. Later, he moved to the studios of

Antonio Joli Antonio Francesco Lodovico Joli (13 March 1700 – 29 April 1777) was an Italian painter of ''vedute'' and ''capricci''. Biography Born in Modena, he first was apprenticed to Rafaello Rinaldi. He then studied in Rome under Giovanni Paolo P ...

, who was a set designer for the theatres owned by the Grimanis. This was also, apparently, unsatisfactory and he took up studies with the battle painter,

Francesco Simonini Francesco Simonini (Parma, June 16, 1686 – Venice or Florence, after 1753) was an Italian painter. Biography Born in Parma, Simonini was trained at the school of Francesco Monti (known as Brescianino delle Battaglie for his battle scenes) u ...

. In 1751, upon his brother Giovanni's advice, he went to Paris and became an apprentice of

Charles Parrocel Charles Parrocel (6 May 1688 – 24 May 1752) was a French Painting, painter and engraver and a specialist in battle and hunt paintings. Parrocel was born in Paris, and studied under his father, Joseph Parrocel, until his death. Parrocel th ...

. The following year, after Parrocel's death, he went to

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

and spent a year studying the battle paintings at the "Gallery of the Electors of Saxony". In 1758, he returned to Paris and set himself up as a free-lance artist. Success did not come immediately, and his first exhibition was a failure. In 1761, he became a

supernumerary Supernumerary means "exceeding the usual number". Supernumerary may also refer to: * Supernumerary actor, a performer in a film, television show, or stage production who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background, more common ...

member of the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (; ) was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abolished in 1793 during the French Revolution. I ...

and was promoted to full member in 1763. As a result of favourable criticism from

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...

, he began to receive commissions from the aristocracy. Diderot would later express negative opinions about Casanova's work, but his reputation was already made. His fame soon spread eastward and he received commissions from

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

for the Hermitage, beginning in 1768. Two years later, he produced his four famous "disaster paintings", which were purchased by

Jean-Benjamin de la Borde Jean-Benjamin François de la Borde (5 September 1734 – 22 July 1794) was a French composer, writer on music and '' fermier général'' (farm tax collector). Born into an aristocratic family, he studied violin under Antoine Dauvergne and composi ...

on behalf of King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

. In 1771, he exhibited two large canvases depicting scenes from the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

(The

Battle of Freiburg The Battle of Freiburg, fought over three days on 3, 5, and 9 August 1644, took place during the Thirty Years' War, near Freiburg im Breisgau, now in Baden-Württemberg. A French army of 16,000, led jointly by Condé and Turenne, sought to rel ...

and the

Battle of Lens The Battle of Lens (20 August 1648) was the last major battle of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). A French force commanded by Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé defeated a Spanish army under Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. The battle cemen ...

) and once again won Diderot's approval.

Personal life

In 1762, he had married Jeanne-Marie Jolivet (1734–1773) a ballerina with the theatre of the

Comédie-Italienne Comédie-Italienne () or Théâtre-Italien () are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France. The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were ''commedia dell'arte'' companies ...

who was known as "Mademoiselle d'Alancour". Her professional connections also supplied him with many clients. In 1775, two years after her death, he married the recently widowed Jeanne Cathérine Delachaux (1748–1818). The marriage turned out to be a disaster, so he abandoned her in 1783, aided and abetted by Giacomo. He took refuge in Vienna, under the protection of Prince Charles Joseph de Ligne, who introduced him to Chancellor Kaunitz. It appears that Francesco was almost as extroverted and entertaining as his brother Giacomo, so he quickly became popular at the Viennese Court. In addition to his paintings, he produced designs for

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...

and upholstery which proved very lucrative. From 1770 to 1787, the Royal Beauvais Manufactory used more than seventy of his patterns. He also produced a number of etchings including ''Tambour russe à cheval'', ''Les trois Cuirassiers'', ''Le Drapeau'', ''Choc de cavalerie'', ''L’Ane et le Drapeau'', and ''Le Dîner du peintre Casanova''. Despite his success and his many aristocratic clients, he squandered his money, was perpetually in debt, and died in poverty at his home near

. The year is generally given as 1803, although some sources have 1805 or 1807.

References

External links

More works by Casanova
@ the Base Joconde
Another critique by Diderot from the Salon of 1765
@ Google Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Casanova, Francesco Giuseppe 1727 births 1803 deaths 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian engravers Painters from Venice Painters from the Republic of Venice Expatriates in the Holy Roman Empire Expatriates in France Military art Italian tapestry artists Italian textile artists 18th-century Italian male artists

Biography

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links