Antonio Asprucci
Portriat of Antonio Asprucci by Anton von Maron
Born(1723-05-20)20 May 1723
Died14 February 1808(1808-02-14) (aged 84)
Known forArchitecture
Works
MovementNeoclassicism

Antonio Asprucci (20 May 1723 – 14 February 1808) was an Italian architect.

Biography

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Asprucci trained with his father, the architect Mario Asprucci il vecchio (the elder), and then was a pupil of Nicola Salvi, the creator of the famous Trevi fountain, whom he assisted with creating various works.[1] Once independent, he worked for the Duke of Bracciano,[2] and was nominated architect to Francis, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and later to Marcantonio Borghese IV of the House of Borghese.[3]

He was one of the first to introduce Neoclassicism in Rome as an architectural style.[4]

In many works, such as those located in the Villa Borghese, he collaborated with his son Mario Asprucci (the younger), also an architect. He was a member of the prestigious Academy of San Luca, where he was elected Principe (director) in 1790.[3]

Works

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Asprucci built a house for Marcantonio Borghese IV in Pratica di Mare.[2]

Asprucci worked on many projects for the Villa Borghese, in Rome, including the landscaping of the villa's gardens, from 1782 for over twenty years.[2]

His most famous work is the small temple dedicated to Aesculapius inside the gardens of Villa Borghese. This small neoclassical building with a tetrastyle ionic portico is located in the middle of the Roman villa's pond.[2]

Asprucci was commissioned to design the classical villa Ickworth House in the Suffolk countryside in 1795.[4]

Other works in the Roman villa include the church of Santa Maria Immacolata in Piazza di Siena and the reorganization of the Casino della Villa Pinciana, home to the Galleria Borghese, with the arrangement of the art objects contained therein.

References

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  1. ^ Challingsworth, Christine (1996). "Asprucci, Antonio (1723 - 1808), architect". Grove Art Online. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T004618. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Chiarini, Marco (1964). "Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: IV". Archived from the original on 28 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b Beltrami, Costanza (20 May 2016). "Antonio Asprucci". Italian Art Society. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Antonio Asprucci". A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017.

Further reading

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  • Ferrara, L. (1956). Galleria Borghese. Novara. pp. 8–12.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Lavagnino, E. (1956). L'arte moderna. Torino. p. 49 ss.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)