Milano

Carlo Bossoli (1815 - 1884)

Swiss-born Italian painter and lithographer known for his historical scenes from the Risorgimento. He was born on December 6, 1815, in Lugano, Switzerland, and died on August 1, 1884, in Turin, Italy. Bossoli's father, of Italian origin, was a stonemason who worked in Switzerland. In 1820, the family moved to Odessa, Ukraine, where his father found work. Bossoli studied with the Capuchins until 1826 and later worked in a shop selling antiquarian books and prints, where he began to develop his drawing and sketching skills. In 1828, he was hired by the Odessa Opera as an assistant to stage designer Rinaldo Nannini, and in 1833, he started selling his paintings. His talent caught the attention of Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, who commissioned him to paint several views of Odessa. With the support of Princess Elizabeta, Bossoli traveled to Italy from 1839 to 1840, primarily staying in Naples and Rome. He focused on tempera and gouache techniques and associated with British artists living in Italy at the time. Upon his return, he settled in Alupka, on the Vorontsov estate, in 1840. In 1844, Bossoli moved to Milan and opened a studio there until 1853 when he had to flee to Turin due to an unsuccessful uprising against the Austrians. Turin became his base for extensive travels to England, France, Spain, Morocco, Germany, and Scandinavia Bossoli received a commission from Prince Oddone, Duke of Montferrat, to follow the Piedmontese Army and document its campaigns. He produced an album of 150 tempera paintings, earning praise from the prince as "the painter of our history." However, Bossoli's productivity declined significantly after falling ill with a fever. He divided his time between decorating his home to resemble the Vorontsov Palace and caring for his nephew. At the age of sixty-eight in 1883, Bossoli married Adelaide De Carolis, who was twenty-one years old. The marriage was commonly believed to be a financial arrangement. The following year, he passed away from a heart attack.

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Antonio Vallardi (1813 - 1876)

Important Italian publisher and the founder of the renowned Antonio Vallardi publishing house. Born into a family with a rich publishing heritage in Milan, his grandfather Cesare Vallardi (1736-1799) began publishing books in Contrada Santa Margherita during the 1750s. Continuing the family legacy, Vallardi's father, Pietro (1770-1819), and uncle Giuseppe (1784-1861) carried on the publishing business, renaming it Fratelli Vallardi. They gained prominence as publishers of books and art prints. Following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, Antonio Vallardi established his own publishing house in 1843, three years after his brother Francesco had founded his own. The Antonio Vallardi publishing house became well-known for its academic and linguistic works, as well as its production of maps. The Vallardi family continued to operate the publishing house until 1970 when they sold the firm to Garzanti, marking the end of an era for the renowned Antonio Vallardi publishing house.

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