Quaini, Luigi

Quaini, Luigi an Italian painter, the son of Francesco, was born at Bologna in 1643. After having acquired the rudiments of the art and a knowledge of perspective from his father, he became a disciple first of Guercino, and afterwards of his relation Carlo Cignani, in whose school he wmas contemporary with Marc Antonio Franceschini. His improvement was so great that in a few years he was employed, as well as Franceschini, to assist Cignani in the execution of some of his great works. Their method of handling and coloring was so similar that it was difficult to determine what part of any work was executed by either of them. In Cignanii's principal works, however, it seems that Quaini painted the landscape, the architecture, and other ornaments, and Franceschini the figures. After Cignani's death the two artists continued to work together. They were employed at Bologna, Modena, Piacenza, Genoa, and Rome, where they painted the cartoons for a cupola in St. Peter's, which has since been executed in mosaic. Quaini also painted many historical subjects from his own compositions, which were entirely finished by himself. In the church of St. Joseph at Bologna there is a picture of the Visitcation; in La Carith, the dead Christ Supported by the Virgin; and in the church of St. Nicholas tihe principal altar-piece is by Quaini — it represents St. Nicholas in Prison Visited by the Virgin and an Angel, and is favorably spoken of by Lanzi. Quaini died in 1717.