Jacopo Amigoni

Jacopo Amigoni (c. 1675-1760), known also as Giacomo Amiconi, stands as a pivotal Italian figure whose career marked the international ascendancy of painting during the transition from the structured Late-Baroque toward the exuberant delicacy of the Rococo. While he began his training in Venice, acquiring the Venetian masters' characteristic emphasis on light and chromatic richness, Amigoni swiftly became an artist whose geographic output rivaled his artistic productivity.

Amigoni’s significance lies not just in his technical ability, but in his unique role as a pan-European artistic ambassador. His relentless travel across the continent, taking him through Bavaria, England, and Spain, established him as arguably the first truly modern “star painter,” capable of adapting his Italianate sensibility to satisfy diverse courtly preferences. This cosmopolitan appeal ensured that his luxurious, large-scale compositions, including portraits and historical narratives, were highly sought after by monarchs and aristocrats who defined 18th-century taste.

His style mastered the sprezzatura of the Rococo age—a cultivated ease that masked technical rigor. Amigoni specialized in the sumptuous portrait, where sitters were rendered with an air of sophisticated grace. Works like the elegant Portrait of a Lady demonstrate his command of draped fabric and polished surfaces, while mythological scenes such as Flora and Zephyr capture the lighthearted theatricality expected of the period.

Amigoni’s versatility extended to intimate studies, exemplified by Sleeping Baby and Mother and Three Children, which provide charming insights into contemporary domesticity. His extensive output, active for over seven decades, cemented his reputation, making Jacopo Amigoni paintings crucial reference points for the century’s visual culture. Today, his enduring legacy is maintained in major repositories across the globe, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Numerous high-quality prints and drawings, preserved in the public domain, allow for continued appreciation of this international master’s expansive and influential career.