Luigi Crespi
Luigi Crespi (23 January 1708 – 2 July 1779) was an Italian painter, and art merchant and historian. He was the son of the prominent Bolognese painter, Giuseppe Crespi.
Also recorded as Spagnolo figlio
Luigi Crespi

Didier Descouens · Public domain
- Born
- 23 January 1708
- Birthplace
- Bologna, Papal States
- Died
- 2 July 1779
- Occupation
- * Painter
- Fields
- portrait
- Languages
- Italian
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Documentary summary
Luigi Crespi (23 January 1708 – 2 July 1779) was an Italian painter, and art merchant and historian. He was the son of the prominent Bolognese painter, Giuseppe Crespi.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q3266428 · wikipedia · Luigi Crespi
In this article
Biography
Biography
The recorded working language is Italian. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait. Places of work recorded in the authority are Bologna. Work by Luigi Crespi is recorded in the collections of Harvard Art Museums, Fogg Museum, Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Gallerie dell'Accademia and Ashmolean Museum.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 23 January 1708 • Birthplace — Bologna, Papal States • Died — 2 July 1779 • Place of death — Bologna, Papal States • Occupation — * Painter • art merchant • historian • Style — Neoclassicism • Father — Giuseppe Crespi
Early life
Early life
Crespi was born on 23 January 1708 in Bologna.
Career
Career
He trained with his father and completed a few altarpieces, including for the churches of San Sigismondo in Bologna, San Bartolomeo della Buona Morte in Finale Emilia, the parish church of Bastiglia in the Province of Modena, and a "Madonna del Rosario" for the Sanctuary of Valdibrana in Pistoia. In 1748, he was nominated canon of the Collegiata di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bologna. Two years later he became an assistant to Cardinal Lambertini, later Pope Benedict XIV. he traveled to Dresden in 1751–1753. upon returning to Bologna, he worked in the re-issuing and editing of the Carlo Cesare Malvasia's Biographies of Bolognese artists, published in 1753, and titled Felsina pittrice. In the 1760s, he began a career as portraitist in a Neoclassical style. He accumulated a number of honors and appointments, including an appointment as associate professor of the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence in 1770; honorary academic of the Academy of Parma (1774) and of Venice (1776).
Death
Death
He died on 2 July 1779 in Bologna.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1708
Luigi Crespi born at Bologna.
1779
Luigi Crespi died at Bologna.
Holdings and surviving copies
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Where material relating to Luigi Crespi is held.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3266428: Luigi Crespi
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Luigi Crespi”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Institutional witnessInstitutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3266428: Luigi CrespiWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the heading Spagnolo figlio. His recorded language was Italian. He was the child of Giuseppe Maria Crespi.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
Work by Luigi Crespi is
Harvard Art Museums, Fogg Museum, Gemäldegalerie Berlin and Gallerie dell'Accademia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Paintings
19,261 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Luigi ArchintiArtist
- Luigi BechiArtist
- Luigi BusiArtist
- Luigi CochettiArtist
- Luigi CrosioArtist
- Luigi De GiudiciArtist
- Luigi de ServiArtist
- Luigi DeleidiArtist
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