Giovanni Battista Magni detto il Modenino (1592 ca.–1674)
• Also known as il Modenino, was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.
• He was born in Modena around 1591 or 1592, the son of Vincenzo.
• By 1626, he was living in Rome.
• The nickname il Modenino means roughly “the little Modenese” and reflects his connection to Modena.
• From the 1630s onward, he worked on decorative schemes in important Roman palaces, including Palazzo Cenci and Palazzo Spada.
• Magni was skilled at quadratura—painted architectural perspectives that create the illusion of three-dimensional structures—and monochrome decorative painting.
• He became a member of Rome’s Accademia di San Luca in 1633 and joined the Congregation of the Virtuosi al Pantheon in 1642.
• He also worked in Naples, where he decorated the royal palace chapel in 1656 and a gallery in the palace of the Tocco family in 1663.
• He died in Rome on 19 May 1674.
