Felice Giani

Who was Felice Giani?

Felice Giani was an Italian painter of the Neoclassic style. His grand manner subjects often included Greco-Roman allusions or themes.

Born in San Sebastiano Curone near Alessandria, he moved to Pavia. In Pavia, he studied with Carlo Bianchi and Antonio Galli Bibiena. He moved to Bologna, in 1778, where he entered the studio of Domenico Pedrini and Ubaldo Gandolfi. He soon moved to Rome and found work in the decoration of the Palazzo Altieri. Between 1780 and 1786, he worked in various studios in Rome, under, for example, Pompeo Batoni and Christoph Unterberger. He then returned north to work in Faenza, where he worked with the quadratura painter Serafino Barozzi, and with Giovanni Battista Ballanti. In Faenza he was involved in a prolific series of projects including the fresco decoration of the Laderchi, Naldi and Milzetti Palaces. The latter is considered his masterpiece. In Bologna, he decorated the Palazzi Aldini, Marescalchi, Lambertini Ranuzzi, and Baciocchi. In Rome, he worked in the palace of the Embassy of Spain, Palazzo Quirinale, and he also did work in Forlì, Ferrara, Ravenna and Venice. He befriended the Napoleonic French leaders, and traveled to Paris where he painted frescos in the villa of the Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Italy. It is there, where he is credited with co-establishing the French Empire style.