Giuseppe Maria Mazza
| Giuseppe Maria Mazza | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1653 |
| Died | 6 June 1741 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Bolognese |
| Occupation | Sculptor |
| Known for | Terracotta statuettes and reliefs |
Giuseppe Maria Mazza (13 May 1653 – 6 June 1741) was one of the leading sculptors of Bologna, Italy, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was trained as a painter, but is best known for his fine sculptural work in terracotta and stucco.
Giuseppe Maria Mazza was born in Bologna on 13 May 1653, son of Camillo Mazza (1602–72). His father was a sculptor who had studied under Alessandro Algardi in Rome, and who worked in Bologna, Padua and Venice. Giuseppe Mazza trained as a sculptor under his father for a while, then studied painting in Bologna under the fresco painter Domenico Maria Canuti. He painted in Carlo Cignani's life classes. He also studied with Lorenzo Pasinelli. He seems to have returned to sculpture after leaving Canuti with the painter Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole and studying at a private school in the Palazzo Fava in Bologna.
Mazza became a successful and prolific sculptor, producing many statuettes and reliefs in terracotta. Mazza's fully finished terracotta statuettes would have been intended for cabinet display in the homes of wealthy art lovers.Prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein, an art connoisseur, was introduced to Mazza in 1691 by the painter Marcantonio Franceschini. The Prince and Mazza were in correspondence between 1692 and 1702, and Mazza provided a number of works. The Prince tried to persuade Mazza to move to Vienna, but without success. Mazza undertook many commissions for churches.
Giuseppe Mazza died in Bologna on 6 June 1741 at the age of 88. The sculptor Angelo Piò was one of Mazza's pupils. A road in Bologna carries his name.
Mazza painted the figures of adoring angels in a painting of the Virgin and Child displayed in the Capella Maggiore of Bologna Cathedral. The church of the Corpus Domini in Bologna has a Virgin and Child and two large angels by Mazza, who also made the bas-reliefs of the high altar.
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