PICCINI, Giacomo - b. ~1617 Venezia, d. ~1669 Venezia - WGA

PICCINI, Giacomo

(b. ~1617 Venezia, d. ~1669 Venezia)

Giacomo Piccini (also Gianjacopo Pecini), Italian printmaker, active in Venice. His subjects were religious and mythological scenes. He was the brother of Guglielmo Piccini and the father and teacher of Isabella Piccini (1664-1734) and Pietro Piccini (active 1661-1672), all were active printmakers in Venice.

Antonio Zanchi was Piccini’s pupil.

Judith
Judith by

Judith

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi, which formed the headquarters of the German merchant community of Venice, occupies a prominent site on the Grand Canal, immediately next to the Rialto Bridge. The decoration of the principal, western fa�ade of the Fondaco was entrusted to Giorgione, while Titian was allocated the much less important fa�ade to the south, which looks on to a narrow street. Titian’s frescoes, painted c. 1509, included trophies, children engaged in combat, and other images of struggle and warfare. The dominant image, placed directly above the entrance portal, was interpreted as a representation of Judith. It survives as a scarcely legible fragment, but its composition is recorded in an engraving by Jacopo Piccini. This shows the Old Testament heroine triumphant over the severed head of Holofernes, while the soldier on the left perfidiously conceals a dagger behind his back.

Feedback