Giovanni Da San Giovanni

Place: San Giovanni Valdarno

Born: 1592

Death: 1899

Biography:

Le Vite de’ Pittori, Scultori et Architetti. Dal Pontificato di Gregorio XII del 1572 in fino a’ tempi di Papa Urbano VIII nel 1642 is an art history book by Giovanni Baglione, first published in 1642. It represents an encyclopedic compendium of biographies of the artists active in Rome during late Mannerism and early Baroque. Baglione (1566 – 1643) was a Late Mannerist and Early Baroque painter and art historian, best remembered for his writings and his acrimonious involvement with the artist Caravaggio, by whom he was nonetheless greatly influenced.
The book was first published in 1642, with a final version published in Naples in 1733, long after Baglione's death, with a biography of Salvator Rosa by Giovanni Battista Passeri as an appendix. The poet Ottavio Tronsarelli may have contributed a good deal of the text. The biographies are structured as a series of days (giornate) for each papacy, recalling the artists active in Rome during that time. Numerous errors are present, and Baglione's prejudices are often clear; however the book is regarded as a very valuable source from a well-placed observer of the Roman art world, who knew most of his subjects personally.

More...