Lorenzo Mattielli (1678/1688 ? – 27 or 28 April 1748) was an Italian sculptor from the LateBaroque period. His name has also variously been written asMatielli,Mattiely,Matthielli, andMathielli. He supplied statuary for palaces and churches in Vienna and Dresden and for themonastery of Melk (Austria).
He was born inVicenza, Italy, but the exact date remains unknown. Different sources give different dates : 1678[1] to 1688.[2] He apprenticed in the workshop of the famous Vicenzan sculptorsOrazio (1643–1720) and his younger brother,Angelo Marinali. In 1705, he married Angelo's daughter and joined of the sculptors’ guild of Vicenza. He worked, together with the brothers Marinali, on the decoration of theVilla Conti (now Lampertico) in Vicenza
He remarried soon after he settled inVienna in 1712, suggesting he must have been widowed while in Italy, and his wife died at a young age. His new wife, Elisabeth Saceoni, also died very young in 1717, after bearing four children. In 1723, he married for the third time, to Maria Magdalena Kronawatter, and with her fathered seven children. The oldest son,Francesco Antonio Mattielli, would later join Lorenzo's workshop in Vienna.
Among his first commissions in Vienna were the statues for the new Palace (designed byAntonio Beduzzi) and the garden of the rich merchantLeopold von Engelskirchner. Most were destroyed in World War II, but four Attica statues remain (three in the Hofburg inInnsbruck and one in the“Historischen Museum” in Vienna).
Lorenzo Mattielli soon became a close friend ofAntonio Beduzzi, who had quickly recognized his skills. They worked often together on the same projects, Beduzzi as painter and designer and Mattielli as sculptor. In the same way, he also worked together with the architectJoseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (Karlskirche, Imperial stables in the Hofburg,Schwarzenberg Palace,Reichkanzlertrakt in the Hofburg,Harrach Palace).
In 1714, on Beduzzi's recommendation, Mattielli was appointed sculptor-in-chief at the imperial court ofCharles VI. This prestigious appointment garnered him many further commissions from the court, upper aristocracy and churches, such as byPrince Adam Franz von Schwarzenberg,Prince Anton Florian von Liechtenstein, and the family of Count Harrach. He became so inundated with orders that he worked simultaneously on different projects in Vienna,Stift Melk,Lambach Abbey andMariazell. Therefore, he could only have produced the designs for these sculptures, leaving the actual manual sculpting to local craftsmen. The routine jobs were performed by his workshop.
In these first ten years in Vienna, he slowly developed a personal style with a refined elegance, especially after his trip to Italy (1720–1722).
In 1738, Lorenzo Mattielli was invited toDresden by kingAugust III, who was married toMaria Josepha, daughter of emperorJoseph I and a long-time Maecenas of Mattielli. He was appointed chief sculptor to the court, receiving special privileges and an adequate remuneration. In 1744 he was appointed inspector in charge of antique and modern statues.
Between 1741 and 1746 he worked at the Neptune fountain in the garden of the Palais Brühl-Marcolini inFriedrichstadt (Dresden). This has become one of his major works.
As the king was building theHofkirche, a Catholic church inDresden designed by the RomanGaetano Chiavari, he commissioned Mattielli to provide 78 statues for this church. These large, sandstone statues stand on abalustrade, surrounding the church. They depict 74 saints and four allegorical figures : Belief, Hope, Charity and Justice. After his death in 1748, his son Francesco finished the work of his father with the statues at the tower in 1752. Many statues were completely destroyed during the bombardment of Dresden on 13 February 1945. Their restoration and the new statues were finished in 2002.
Lorenzo Mattielli was buried in the churchyard of the Hofkirche in Dresden, the city in which he died.
Works by Lorenzo Mattielli can be found in
Vienna :
Melk Abbey
Klosterneuburg
Warsaw
Media related toLorenzo Mattielli at Wikimedia Commons
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