The 17th Century: Baroque and Rococo

Baroque and Rococo

Filippo Parodi

Filippo Parodi
(b Genoa, 1630; d Genoa, 22 July 1702).

Sculptor and wood-carver. Ratti stated that Filippo first worked as a wood-carver and went to Rome twice, staying for six years each time. The time Parodi spent in Rome is vital for the understanding of the stylistic characteristics of his work. The crowning of the pediment of the altar of the Virgin in S Maria delle Vigne, Genoa, with allegorical figures of Faith, Hope and Charity follows a composition that occurs frequently in Roman churches, and four statues representing characters from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Narcissus, Hyacinth, Heliantha and Flora, all Genoa, Pal. Reale) reveal a thorough knowledge of Roman Baroque sculpture. These works, and a large carved wooden looking-glass in the Villa Durazzo at Albisola, Genoa, probably date not much later than 1661.