Date
1775-1779
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Portrait of the Architect Giuseppe Piermarini
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Painting Collection. On long-term loan and on display at the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milan
About The Work
Martin Knoller arrived in Milan in 1758, commissioned by the Minister Plenipotentiary of Austrian Lombardy—the prominent collector Count Carlo Gottardo di Firmian—to decorate his residence in Porta Nuova. This project cemented a relationship of mutual esteem that had begun in Naples. By 1765, Knoller had settled permanently in Milan, which became his adopted home. Here, he produced an extensive body of portraits and large-scale decorative cycles, often under the intellectual aegis of Giuseppe Parini and on architectural sites led by Giuseppe Piermarini. Following his appointment as Imperial Royal Architect, Piermarini directed Milan’s most significant construction projects (including the Palazzo Reale, the Brera complex, Palazzo Greppi, Palazzo Belgiojoso, Teatro alla Scala, and the Villa Reale di Monza), frequently collaborating with Knoller on fresco decorations that helped define the city's Neoclassical aesthetic.
It was within this context of close collaboration that this portrait was conceived. It presents a sober yet incisive image of the architect, rendered with meticulous brushwork that remains sensitive to his psychological depth. The figure emerges gradually from a dark background: Piermarini wears a fur-trimmed surcoat, revealing a golden collar, a delicate white jabot, and a lace cuff. The light focuses on his face—framed by a powdered wig and a light beard—while his right hand firmly grasps a compass, the quintessential attribute of his profession. The composition emphasises both his tools and his determined, self-assured expression, capturing the man who, at forty-five, was the architect of Habsburg Milan’s urban renewal.
Another autograph version of this portrait, signed and dated 1779 and executed on panel, was recently documented at the Galleria Carlo Virgilio & C. in Rome. This version remained with the architect's descendants for over two centuries. A printed version of the work is also known to exist.
It was within this context of close collaboration that this portrait was conceived. It presents a sober yet incisive image of the architect, rendered with meticulous brushwork that remains sensitive to his psychological depth. The figure emerges gradually from a dark background: Piermarini wears a fur-trimmed surcoat, revealing a golden collar, a delicate white jabot, and a lace cuff. The light focuses on his face—framed by a powdered wig and a light beard—while his right hand firmly grasps a compass, the quintessential attribute of his profession. The composition emphasises both his tools and his determined, self-assured expression, capturing the man who, at forty-five, was the architect of Habsburg Milan’s urban renewal.
Another autograph version of this portrait, signed and dated 1779 and executed on panel, was recently documented at the Galleria Carlo Virgilio & C. in Rome. This version remained with the architect's descendants for over two centuries. A printed version of the work is also known to exist.
Title
Ritratto dell'architetto Giuseppe Piermarini
Creator
Martin Knoller
Subject
Portrait of the Architect Giuseppe Piermarini
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Collection
Date
1775-1779
Inscriptions
On the reverse of the canvas, in brush, center: "Giuseppe Piermarini / Foligno / ove morì il 18 Febrajo/ 1808"
Crest
On recto, lower left, paper label: "N° del sottont[...] / 817 / consegna 1901".
Technique / Support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
cm 73.5 x 56.5
Acquisition
Undocumented
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Painting Collection. On long-term loan and on display at the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milan
Bibliography
Marangoni, Guido. “Nel centenario di Giuseppe Piermarini”. In Rassegna d'arte, VIII, March 1908, no. 3. 53, 46 ill.
Anzani, Giovanni. Entry no. 359. In Museo teatrale alla Scala, vol. 1, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Electa 1975. 119, tav. 270.
Ricci, Giuliana. Entry no. 86. In La Milano del Giovin Signore. Le arti nel Settecento di Parini, exhibition catalogue (Milano, Palazzo Morando Attendolo Bolognini, 14 December 1999–12 April 2000), edited by Fernando Mazzocca and Alessandro Morandotti. Milano: Skira, 1999. 245, ill. 180.
Baumgartl, Edgar. Martin Knoller, 1725–1804. Malerei zwischen Spätbarock und Klassizismus in Österreich, Italien und Süddeutschland. München–Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2004. 263, no. P15b.
Anzani, Giovanni. Entry no. 359. In Museo teatrale alla Scala, vol. 1, Musei e Gallerie di Milano. Milano: Electa 1975. 119, tav. 270.
Ricci, Giuliana. Entry no. 86. In La Milano del Giovin Signore. Le arti nel Settecento di Parini, exhibition catalogue (Milano, Palazzo Morando Attendolo Bolognini, 14 December 1999–12 April 2000), edited by Fernando Mazzocca and Alessandro Morandotti. Milano: Skira, 1999. 245, ill. 180.
Baumgartl, Edgar. Martin Knoller, 1725–1804. Malerei zwischen Spätbarock und Klassizismus in Österreich, Italien und Süddeutschland. München–Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2004. 263, no. P15b.
Conservation status
Good
Unique identifier
0302201007