Domenico Cagnoni Biography
CAGNONI Domenico (17th century, died in Milan on 8 January 1797). By others referred to as Giuseppe. Veronese, he was among the most famous Italian engravers-cartoonists of the eighteenth century. The reason why he abandoned Verona to go to Brescia where he began his fruitful activity as an illustrator of books and title pages, of which, however, he was rarely a designer, is unknown. In 1759 in Brescia he began his collaboration with the publishers Giovanni Battista Bossini and Giovanni Maria Rizzardi. Among the books he illustrated there are A.Sambuca, "Two letters to... countess Donna Mariana Colleredo (Brescia, Rizzardi, 1762, with two cartoons drawn by G.Turbini), "Prospectus of the Giostra held in Brescia on 3 February 1766" appeared in the volume by A.Brognolo "The Giostra dell'anello made by Brescian knights... (Brescia, Rizzardi, 1766). He also engraved the diploma of the Agricultural Society, a print ("The Holy Cross which is venerated in the cathedral of Brescia, depicted in life" and the portrait of Panagioti da Sinope in the volume by P.Bazzani "Life of Panagioti da Sinope..." (Brescia, Rizzardi 1760), the portrait of V.Gaifani placed as the frontispiece of Onorato di S.Maria's volume "Critical historical dissertations on ancient and modern chivalry" (Brescia, Rizzardi, 1761). Cagnoni was invited to Milan where he won the respect of the cultured environment and where he also held government positions. He then collaborated with the Royal Printing House of Parma founded by GB Bodoni who considered Cagnoni "a very good engraver".
