Gasparini, Matteo

Gasparini, Matteo. ?, 1st half of 18th century – 1774. Painter, designer and plasterer.

His date and place of birth are unknown. He arrived in Spain from Naples on 13th January 1760, at the summons of King Charles III to decorate the King’s Chamber in the Royal Palace of Madrid, to carry out renovations on the Royal Sites, as well as to work on the new palace of La Granja. He was accompanied by his wife and children, as well as a number of Italian artists who would collaborate in the execution of these new works. During this king’s reign, there was a significant amount of furniture making, to the extent that a royal workshop was founded to create bronzes and marquetry for furniture. The workshop was headed by Giovanni Battista Ferroni, who carved the designs supplied by Gasparini and other designers of the royal household, together with other master carvers of the workshop. It is well-known that the King was very fond of woodwork, especially furniture.

The Madrid climate did not agree with the artist, who fell ill in 1770 and moved to Valencia the same year to recover. During this year, he also signed a contract with Giovanni Battista Ferroni to make the bronze works for the furniture of the Sitting Room or the Gasparini Salon and the Cabinet Room. He was responsible for the complete decoration of the rooms in 1764, for which he designed furniture, marble, bronzes and stuccoes, and even the armchair upholstery, assisted by his wife, Luisa Bargancini who did the embroidery work. He thus achieved one of the most important models of the period in a Louis XV style, inspired by the French style with marquetry in the wood of the armchairs, double curves in the armrests and a wide range of dimensions.

Upon Gasparini’s death, his son Antonio assumed the supervision of the chinoiserie and stucco decorations. He sought to obtain the post of director of the Arts.

Source: Royal Academy of History