Giovanni Gonnelli

Self-created likeness

Giovanni Gonnelli,also known asil Cieco daGambassi( "The blindman from Gambassi"; April 4, 1603 – 1664) was an Italian sculptor of theBaroqueperiod, born inTuscany.He is one of the biographies featured byFilippo Baldinucci.

Jusepe de Ribera,"The Sense of Touch", a portrait of Gonnelli

He became a blind sculptor. According to Baldinucci, he had been discovered in the studio of the elderPietro Taccaby theduke of Mantua,Carlo Gonzaga.However, following the Duke back to his capital meant that he suffered from the siege of the city by German troops in 1630. During this time, and perhaps due to the effects of deprivation and labor, he became completely blind. Back in Tuscany, after a spell of melancholy, he began to sculpt again in clay, and his work aroused accolades and patronage from the likes of theGrand Duke of Tuscany, FerdinandandPope Urban VIII.He traveled to Rome to display his work. Baldinucci recounts that one patron forced him to work in a dark room. He lived comfortably, and remained jolly. He had ten children, played guitar and sang, and engaged in various love affairs.

Gambassi Terme

References

• Fitz Darby, Delphine (1957). "Ribera and the Blind Men".The Art Bulletin.39(3). The Art Bulletin, Vol. 39, No. 3: 195–217.doi:10.2307/3047713.JSTOR3047713.
• Notizie de' professori del disegno...byFilippo Baldinucciand others (1681). p. 253.[1]
• it:Giovanni Gonnelli(in Italian)