Pierre Subleyras - Giovanni Felice Ramelli - Galleria Sabauda

Giovanni Felice Ramelli (1666–1740) was an Italian painter of the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

period, active mainly in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. He also became an abbot of the Augustinian order of

Canons Regular of the Lateran The Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL, Canonici Regulares Lateranenses), formally titled the Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran, is an international congregation of canons regular, comprisin ...

Biography

Jozef en de vrouw van Potifar Rijksmuseum SK-A-4363

He was born in

Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...

in the Piedmont. He became a monk in the abbey of Santa Andrea in

Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...

; then moved to the abbey of San Pietro, Gattinara. In 1707, he was named abbott of Santa Maria Nova of Asti. He initially trained in Vercelli with the monk Danese Rho, a manuscript illuminator. He was master at reproducing miniature copies of the works of the pastel painter

Rosalba Carriera Rosalba Carriera (12 January 1673 – 15 April 1757) was an Italians, Italian Rococo painter. In her younger years, she specialized in portrait miniatures. Carriera would later become known for her pastel portraits, helping popularize the medium ...

and the painter Maria Felice Tibaldi, who married the painter

Pierre Subleyras Pierre Hubert Subleyras (; November 25, 1699 – May 28, 1749) was a French painter, active during the late-Baroque and early- Neoclassic period, mainly in Italy. Life Subleyras was born in Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, France. He left France in 1728, ...

. In 1717, he was called to

, where he was made by

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

Albani, as abbot in perpetuity of the Augustinian

St John Lateran The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of A ...

. In Rome, he was in contact with many of the premier artists of Italy including Trevisani, Balestra, Maratta, Nicolas Vleughels, and

Antonio Maria Zanetti Count Anton oMaria Zanetti (1689–1767) was a Venetian artist, engraver, art critic, art dealer and connoisseur. He formed a collection of engraved gems, of which he published a lavish catalogue. Life Zanetti spent his early manhood making ...

. Due his role in the Vatican library and to his proximity to the Pope, Ramelli was able to arrange a commission from

Daniel Seiter Daniel Seiter, Saiter, or Seyter (c.1642/1647–1705) was a Vienna, Viennese-born painter of the Baroque, who trained and worked in Italy. Biography According to Houbraken, Seiter was born on the border of Switzerland and brought up in Vien ...

to engrave in copper plates the famed Byzantine ''Menologion of Basil II''. In 1739, Abbot Ramelli commissioned Subleyras' canvas depicting ''Christ in the House of Simon'' for the church of Santa Maria Nuova in Asti. Also in 1739, he helped induct Subleyras into

Academy of St Luke The Accademia di San Luca () is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its first ''principe'' or director; ...

, of which he was a member since 1722 as Academic of Merit. Subleyras painted Ramelli's portrait circa 1735. Ramelli excelled in

portrait miniatures A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting from Renaissance art, usually executed in gouache, Watercolor painting, watercolor, or Vitreous enamel, enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illumin ...

. In the Gallery of

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, there are miniatures of

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

Lorenzo Pasinelli Lorenzo Pasinelli (September 4, 1629 – March 4, 1700) was an Italian painter active mainly in Bologna during the late Baroque period. He was born in Bologna, and initially trained in the studio of Simone Cantarini. He then pursued studies in R ...

Giovanni Gioseffo Dal Sole Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole (10 December 1654 – 22 July 1719) was an italy, Italian painter and engraver from Bologna, active in the late-Baroque period. Upon the death of Carlo Cignani, Gioseffo dal Sole became among the most prominent painter ...

; while in

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 ...

is a female portrait. In the Riksmuseum of Amsterdam, there is a miniature of ''Joseph and Potiphar'' by

Carlo Cignani Carlo Cignani (; 15 May 1628 – 8 September 1719) was an Italian painter. His innovative style referred to as his 'new manner' introduced a reflective, intimate mood of painting and presaged the later pictures of Guido Reni and Guercino, as well ...

. The Palazzo Graziani in

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

has a miniature painting of a ''Shepherd with dead game'', while at the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

is a miniature of the ''Virgin and Child''. The King of Sardinia invited Ramelli to his court, where he was for some time employed in painting the portraits of the most celebrated painters, many of which he copied from the originals, painted by themselves, in the Florentine Gallery (now

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of th ...

).* He died in Rome and was buried in 1941

Santa Maria della Pace Santa Maria della Pace is a Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholi ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramelli, Abbott Giovanni Felice 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters Canons Regular of the Lateran Italian Baroque painters Italian portrait miniaturists People from Asti 1666 births 1740 deaths 18th-century Italian male artists