Giovanni Battista Maganza

• Name — Giovanni Battista Maganza • Born — c. 1513 • Birthplace — Calaone near Vicenza • Died — 25 August 1586 • Other Names — Magagnò (pseudonym) • Occupation — * Artist • poet

• Illustration — Altarpiece for church of San Giorgio, Vicenza Maganza was a friend of architect Andrea Palladio. He visited Rome between 1546 and 1547 and also met Gian Giorgio Trissino and the poet Marco Thiene. Maganza was also member of the Accademia Olimpica (Olympic Academy) in Venice, where he designed costumes for the play Oedipus Rex, the first opera presented at the Palladio-designed Teatro Olimpico. As a poet, he wrote satires in the Paduan dialect (more precisely in a now-dead form of it, called "dialetto pavano"), under the nickname Magagnò. Maganza's son Alessandro Maganza was also a prominent local painter. Fontana cites Lanzi and Zanetti as Maganza's dates of birth and death as 1509 and 1589 Giovanni De Mio was one of his pupils.

Partial listing: • San Girolamo penitente (Saint Jerome Penitent) (1570), San Marco in San Girolamo church, Vicenza • Pala del Rosario (1583), Montebello Vicentino church. • La conversione di S.Paolo (Conversion of Saint Paul) (16th century), at the large altar of the Novale di Valdagno church, Vicenza. • Frescoes in Villa Repeta and Campiglia dei Berici.

He also worked under the names Magagnò and Lucrezio Beccanuvoli. The authorities additionally record the headings Magagno Maganza, Giovanni Battista Maganza I, Giovanni Battista Magagnò, Giovanni Battista Magagno and Giovanni Battista, the elder Maganza. His recorded languages were Italian, Venetian and Paduan.

Giovanni Battista Maganza is recorded as painter, poet, writer and artist.