Marcantonio Franceschini Biography
Marcantonio Franceschini (1648 - 1729) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna. At the age of 17 he began his artistic apprenticeship with the painter Giovanni Maria Galli, known as Bibiena, and subsequently at the workshop of Carlo Cignani after Galli's death in 1668. During this second period, he created important commissions for the frescoes of the porticoes of the Bolognese churches of San Bartolomeo in 1671 and of Santa Maria dei Servi in 1672, aided by Cignani's cousin, Luigi Quaini.
In 1683, when Cignani left Bologna to move to Forlì, Marcantonio decided to open his own workshop. During this period, he collaborated with Haffner on the decorations of the Ranuzzi, Monti and Marescotti noble palaces in Bologna.
Between 1689 and 1696, he created an impressive decorative cycle for the church of Corpus Domini (known as "della Santa") in Bologna, dedicated to Santa Caterina de' Vigri, patron saint of artists. He also worked in Genoa (Sala del Maggior Consiglio in the Palazzo Ducale), Modena and Rome (cartoons for the mosaics of the Chapel of the Choir in San Pietro) and received the nomination as a Knight from Pope Clement XI and held important positions for the Academy Clementine.
Among his latest works are “the Allegory of Fame” (1720), dedicated to Cignani who died the previous year, “the Triumph of David” (1721) and “the Death of Abel” (1723), currently in the Pinacoteca National team of Bologna.
