Gino Coppede,(
Firenze, 26 settembre 1866 – Roma, 20 settembre 1927 )
Italian architect, sculpture and decorator
was known above all for his lavish
use of ornament, seen in the decoration of his facades and in
the swirling bars of iron gates and fences around the palazzos
and villas he designed. His apprenticeship in ornamentation
began in the successful woodcarving studio of his father
Mariano, where Gino and his kid brother
Adolfo ( also architect ) learned to carve intricate
figures commissioned to adorn fireplaces, mirrors and armoires.
The various projects contracted through his father's workshop,
Casa Artistica, brought Gino into contact with Florentine
architects.
After graduating from the Professional School of Industrial and
Decorative Arts at age 24, he became a member of the city's
Academy of Fine Arts, where he received his certification to
teach architectural design.
His
commission in 1919 to design this new residential section of
Rome was an architect's dream: carte blanche from the clients, a
Ligurian building association with plans to sell the luxurious
condominium units to professionals and civil servants. Coppede
held none of his exuberance or humor in check for the largest
project of his career. The chubby putti, the overflowing baskets
of fruit, and the winged serpents with great curled tails that
adorn the buildings of the quarter were all part of the
repertoire he had acquired in his father's workshop so many
years before. Only on his very last project would Coppede be
forced to restrict himself to a more classical style. Fascist
Rome's ''call to order'' subdued his spirit; his one other
commission in the capital, at 7 Via Veneto (finished in 1927),
seems devoid of ornament compared with the Quartiere Coppede.
Works:
Quartiere Coppede
in Rome
Villa Biancardi in Codogno ( LO
)
Villa Biancardi
già Castello di Zorlesco ( LO )