Giovanni Angelo Canini

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Giovanni Angelo Canini (1617-1666) was an Italian painter and engraver of the Baroque period.

He is also known as Giovanni Agnolo Canini or Giannangiolo. He was born at Rome. He was first the pupil of Domenichino, and afterwards of Antonio Barbalonga. He painted two canvases: the Martyrdom of SS. Stephen and of St. Bartholomew for the church of San Martino ai Monti, Rome. He died in Paris. He was received into the Accademia di San Luca of Rome in 1650, and was eventually was patronized by Queen Christina of Sweden. Though talented as an artist, he devoted much time to archaeology, and published two works on that subject. He engraved a portrait of Cardinal Mazarin.

Having accompanied Cardinal Chigi to France, he was encouraged by the minister Colbert to carry into execution his project of designing from medals, antique gems and similar sources a series of portraits of the most illustrious characters of antiquity, accompanied with memoirs; but shortly after the commencement of the undertaking Canini died at Rome. The work, however, was prosecuted by his brother Marcantonio, who, with the assistance of Jean Picard and Valet, completed and published it in 1699, under the title of Iconografia di Giovanni Agnolo Canini. It contains 50 engravings. A reprint in Italian and French appeared at Amsterdam in 1731.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

• Bryan, Michael (1886). in Robert Edmund Graves: Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, Biographical and Critical (Volume I: A-K). York St. #4, Covent Garden, London; Original from Fogg Library, Digitized May 18, 2007: George Bell and Sons, page 225.