Angelo Michele Cavazzoni

Angelo Michele Cavazzoni
Born	1672 Bologna
Died	March 9, 1743
Nationality	Italian
Known for	Painting, Engraving
Movement	Baroque

Angelo Michele Cavazzoni or Cavazzone (Bologna, 1672 - March 9, 1743) was an Italian painter and engraver, who trained with Giovanni Gioseffo Santi. Cavazzoni is known for his skill in copying masterworks, architectural drawings, and contributing anatomical illustrations to scientific treatises.

He became Prince (President) of the Accademia Clementina in Bologna on October 24, 1729. Among his pupils was Bernardo Minozzi.

Early life and education

Cavazzoni was born in Bologna, 1672, to Alfonso Cavazzoni, a tradesman in wool dyeing and textiles.

Due to childhood illness, Cavazzoni was confined to home rather than receiving a formal education. He learned to read from his mother, and initially his father arranged for Cavazzoni to train under apprenticeship to become a goldsmith, however, Cavazzoni was disinterested and spent most of his time drawing on paper and eventually, his home's walls.

A close family friend, the painter Giovanni Gioseffo Santi, recognized Cavazzoni’s early talent and encouraged him to pursue painting seriously. Santi, who specialized in perspective and architectural decoration painting, gave Cavazzoni access to a collection of fine drawings, through which Cavazzoni taught himself composition and form under guidance by Santi.

By close observation and study Cavazzoni would copy these works and teach himself via self study for several years, painting in the cloister of San Michele of Bosco before Santi eventually retired while Cavazzoni would remain studying on his own, advancing his skills.

Career

Cavazzoni was active primarily in Bologna during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He developed a reputation for his exceptional skill in copying paintings, which were sometimes mistaken for originals due to their precision and finish. Among his most notable copies was a reduced version of Annibale Carracci’s The Resurrection, which was studied extensively and executed with such care that it was acquired by an English collector. He also produced multiple copies of Simone Cantarini’s portrait heads and a version of Guido Cagnacci’s Magdalene Carried to Heaven.

He worked closely with Giovan Gioseffo dal Sole, who commissioned him to reproduce his own painting of the Rape of the Sabine Women. This copy was convincing enough that it was engraved and circulated, with some viewers judging it to be indistinguishable from the original. Cavazzoni was also responsible for painting a panel of Saint Catherine for the wife of an imperial ambassador, who was returning to Vienna, as well as drawings for a planned illustrated volume of Bologna’s architecture, commissioned by then Senator Camillo Bargellini. For this project, he produced over one hundred architectural drawings, including views of churches, palaces, fountains, and chapels. However, the project was never completed. Cavazzoni’s renderings were praised at the time for their mathematical precision in handling proportions, spatial logic, and artistic shading.

Pope Clement XI before his death, commissioned Cavazzoni to design and draw an armory of Fort Urban for Pope Clement XI, though this work was interrupted by the Pope’s death in 1721.

By commission of Pope Benedict XIII, Cavazzoni was asked to create detailed illustrations of the entirety of the chapel of San Domenico, including the paintings, sculptures, and tomb of Saint Dominic. Cavazzoni would later revise and enlarge his earlier drawings of the chapel.

Cavazzoni would also contribute anatomical illustrations for scientific publications, most notably for Antonio Maria Valsalva’s treatise on the human ear, "De Aure Humana Tractatus," and for Giovanni Battista Morgagni’s studies in anatomy. His diagrams were praised for combining anatomical accuracy with artistic clarity.

Style and legacy

Cavazzoni was known for his attention to detail, often spending more time than other artists on a given task. Though this led some to consider him overly slow, his works were admired for their refinement and were often indistinguishable from originals. His engravings and architectural renderings in particular received acclaim during his lifetime.

Although not a founding member of the Accademia Clementina, Cavazzoni rose to become its twelfth president in 1729 after the term of its former president, Donato Creti, and played a significant role in preserving Bologna's artistic and architectural heritage through hundreds of his now lost drawings.