The sculptor Filippo Parodi – said to be Genoa’s first and greatest native Baroque sculptor – died on this day in 1702. In addition to his hometown, Parodi spent over a decade in Rome and also worked in Venice and Padua. His work shows knowledge of Bernini and Puget, and his style was carried on by several students, including Pietro Roncaioli and Giacomo Antonio Ponsonelli. Parodi created sculptural decorations for church altars as well as marble statutes based on classical mythology. Like many Italian artists, Parodi moved easily between Christian and pagan themes depending on the desires of his patrons. He worked in a variety of media, including wood, stucco, and stone.
Reference: Wittkower, Rudolf, Joseph Connors, and Jennifer Montagu. Art and Architecture in Italy, 1600-1750. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
For more on Parodi, see Oreste Ferrari and M. Newcome. “Parodi.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T065548pg1.
Immaculate Conception, Altar, ca. 1700, marble, San Luca, Genoa
Candleabrum