Galli da Bibiena family

Galli da Bibiena family, family of Italian scenic artists of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The family took its name from the birthplace of its progenitor, Giovanni Maria Galli (1625–65), who was born at Bibbiena, near Florence. He studied painting under Francesco Albani and first laid the foundations of an artistry that was carried on by his descendants, who devoted themselves to scenic work for the theatre. Employing freely the highly ornate style of late Baroque architecture and sculpture, the various members of the family produced a series of theatrical and other designs that are amazing for their splendour and spacious proportions achieved by intricate perspective. From about 1690 to 1787, eight Bibienas enchanted most of the courts of Europe with dazzling settings for operas, funerals, and weddings. The Habsburgs were their most lavish patrons.

Ferdinando Galli Bibiena (1657–1743), born at Bologna, was the son of Giovanni Maria. He studied painting under Carlo Cignani, architecture under Giulio Troili (called Paradosso), and scene design under Giacomo Torelli. On Cignani’s recommendation he entered the service of the duke of Parma. His chief work at this period was the villa and garden of Colorno, but he soon established a reputation for scenic designs and worked for the theatre. In 1708 he was called to Barcelona to arrange the decorations in connection with the wedding festivities of the future Holy Roman emperor Charles VI. When this prince ascended the imperial throne, Ferdinando went to Vienna and was there employed on designs of scenery and decorations for festivities at the court and at the opera. On his return to Bologna in 1717 he was elected a member of the Clementine Academy. In 1731 he built the royal theatre of Mantua (burned in 1781). He produced several books, including L’architettura civile (1711; “Civil Architecture”), which was reissued under various titles, and Varie opere di prospettiva (1703–08; “Various Works of Perspective”), which were important for their descriptions of angled perspective, the Baroque period’s greatest innovation in staging.

Francesco Galli Bibiena (1659–1739), born at Bologna, was the second son of Giovanni Maria. He studied under Lorenzo Pasinelli and Cignani, worked at Piacenza, Parma, and Rome, and then became ducal architect at Mantua. After a stay in Genoa and Naples he was called to Vienna, where he built a large theatre. He was architect of the great theatre at Nancy, France; of the Teatro Filarmonico at Verona, which some called the finest theatre in Italy; and of the Teatro Alibert in Rome. In 1726 he returned to Bologna and directed the Clementine Academy.

Alessandro Galli Bibiena (1687–1769), eldest son of Ferdinando, was born at Parma. In 1719 he became architect and painter at the court of the elector of the Palatinate (in Germany). Among his works were the right wing of the castle and the opera house (both burned in 1795) and the Jesuit church at Mannheim.

Giuseppe Galli Bibiena (1696–1757), second son of Ferdinando, was the most distinguished artist of the family. He was born at Parma and, as a youth, accompanied his father to Barcelona and afterward to Vienna. Staying on when his father left, he there became the chief organizer of splendid court festivities and functions. He designed catafalques for the funerals of more than 30 nobles and sovereigns, as well as scenery for plays and dances. In 1722 he worked in Munich and in 1723 in Prague. In 1742 he designed the decorations for the Vienna opera; in 1747 he was employed at the opera in Dresden, Saxony; in 1748 he designed the interior of the theatre at Bayreuth; and in 1750 he renovated the Dresden opera (burned in 1849). He died in Berlin. He published his stage sets in three series of engravings: Alcina (1716), Costanza e fortezza (1723; “Constancy and Fortitude”), and Architetture e prospettive (1740–44; “Architecture and Perspective”).

Antonio Galli Bibiena (1700–74), third son of Ferdinando, was the architect of the Virgilian Academy at Mantua, Italy, and of the Teatro Comunale at Bologna. He was also employed at the court of Vienna.

Carlo Galli Bibiena (1728–87), son of Giuseppe, was born in Vienna. This last of the theatrical Bibienas traveled farther than any. He worked in Germany, France, and the Netherlands (1746–60); London (1763); Naples (1772), where he published five opera sets; Stockholm (1774); and St. Petersburg until 1778. He died in Florence.

Because the Bibienas’ works in theatrical scenery were not executed in durable material and because their decorations for court functions were necessarily of a temporary character, little has survived. Consequently, their richness and splendour can be judged only from drawings, which have been preserved in great numbers, found chiefly at Vienna, Munich, and Dresden.