Luigi Fontana (9 February 1827 – 27 December 1908) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

sculptor, painter and architect.

Biography

He was born at

Monte San Pietrangeli Monte San Pietrangeli is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Fermo in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about north of Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; ; ) is a (municipality) and capital of the province of ...

in the

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

. He first began training between 1838 and 1841 at

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza (ri ...

under

Gaetano Ferri Gaetano (anglicized ''Cajetan'') is an Italian masculine given name. It is also used as a surname. It is derived from the Latin ''Caietanus'', meaning "from ''Caieta''" (the modern Gaeta). The given name has been in use in Italy since medieval per ...

; then moved to

Fermo Fermo (; ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest huma ...

to work under Gaetano Palmaroli, and finally went to Rome and joined the studio of

Tommaso Minardi Tommaso Minardi (December 4, 1787 – January 12, 1871) was an Italian painter and author on art theory, active in Faenza, Rome, Perugia, and other towns. He painted in styles that transitioned from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. Biography Mi ...

and attended classes at the

Accademia di San Luca 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; ...

. Fontana's uncle of the same name was a prominent architect in the Marche region. Luigi Fontana the painter had two sons: Tommaso, who was his pupil, and Margherita. Fontana painted religious subjects for the seminary of

and the church of Santissimi Sacramento in

Grottazzolina Grottazzolina is a town and comune in the province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. Twin towns - twin cities * Várpalota Várpalota (; German: Burgschloß) is a town in Western Hungary, in the Transdanubian county of Veszprém (county) ...

. In 1850, he returned to Rome to paint a canvas depicting ''Orazio Brancadoro sent by the Emperor Charles V to the Siege of Ratisbon''. Among his other paintings is a ''Ezekiel's Vision'' for the church of San Nicola da Tolentino, a copy of the ''

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

'' by

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Renaissance painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpie ...

found in the church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Telusiano, and another painting for San Martino e San Marco in

Petriolo Petriolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about south of Macerata. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,063 and an area of .All demographics and ...

. From 1879 to 1903, he collaborated with the ornamental painter Nicola Achilli (1858 – 1945) of Montegiorgio. Fontana completed the large

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

lions outside the Collegiata di Santi Lorenzo and Biagio in Monte San Pietrangeli. Nicola also helped Fontana in designing and applying the faux marble decorations, and stucco decorations in the Cathedral designed by Luigi Poletti for Montalto Marche, in the collegiate church of Santa Lucia in

Montefiore dell'Aso Montefiore dell'Aso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about northeast of Ascoli Piceno. One of several Hilltowns in Central Italy, Montefiore dell ...

, in the church of SS. Sacramento e Rosario of

, in the vast abbey of

Campofilone Campofilone is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Fermo in the Italian region Marche, located about southeast of Ancona and about northeast of Ascoli Piceno. As of 31 December 2018, it had a population of 1,912 and an area of . Campo ...

, in the

Basilica di San Nicola a Tolentino The Basilica of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino () is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica that is part of the Augustinians, Augustinian monastery in the hill-town of Tolentino, province of Macerata, Marche, central Italy. The church is a forme ...

, and other churches in the Marche. Apart from his native town, his works are present in Rome in the basilicas of Santi Apostoli (1871-1875, apse frescoes),

San Lorenzo in Damaso The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Damaso (Basilica Minore di San Lorenzo in Damaso) or simply San Lorenzo in Damaso is a parish and titular church in central Rome, Italy that is dedicated to St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr. It is incorporate ...

San Giovanni in Laterano 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 ...

Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim C ...

Santa Maria sopra Minerva Santa Maria sopra Minerva is one of the major Church (building), churches of the Order of Preachers (also known as the Dominicans) in Rome, Italy. The church's name derives from the fact that the first Christian church structure on the site was b ...

and other palaces, as well as in the cathedrals of

Montefiascone Montefiascone is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in Lazio, central Italy. It stands on a hill on the southeast side of Lake Bolsena, about north of Rome. History The name of the city derives from that of the Falisci (''Mons Fa ...

, and Tivoli. He also sculpted a life-size solid silver statue of Saint Philip of Agira in Zebbug, Malta. This is a unique statue in classic style used for religious processional purposes with over 36 kg of solid silver. The statue was completed in 1863 and may be viewed at the Catholic parish church of the same town in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

.Pro Loco San Pietrangeli
short biography.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontana, Luigi 1827 births 1908 deaths People from Monte San Pietrangeli 19th-century Italian architects 19th-century Italian painters 19th-century Italian male artists Italian male painters 20th-century Italian painters 20th-century Italian sculptors 20th-century Italian male artists 19th-century Italian sculptors Italian male sculptors