Giovanni Nanni, also Giovanni de' Ricamatori, better known as Giovanni da Udine (1487-1564), was an Italian painter and architect born
in Udine. He should not be confused with Martino da
Udine, otherwise known as Pellegrino da San Daniele (1467-1547).
As a student and assistant of Raphael, he was responsible for most of the "decorative" (i.e.
non-narrative) elements of the major Raphaellesque projects in Rome, and he was a specialist in
fresco and stucco grotesque decorations. These included the stucco work in the Loggia di Raffaello (Vatican, 1517-1519) and the
heavy fruit-laden swags in the loggia di psiche in the Villa Farnesina. He also
assisted in the construction of a few monumental fountains, which are now destroyed.
After the death of Raphael, da Udine continued to work on projects initiated by his master, namely the Villa Madama in Rome. He continued his work until the sack of Rome
(1527) when he departed to work in Florence, where he worked on the stuccoes in
Sagrestia Nuova in San Lorenzo, and Venice, where he worked
on the stucco decoration in the Palazzo Grimani, around 1540.
In Udine, he worked as an architect on the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock-Tower) and the
Fontana di Piazza Nuova (Piazza Nuova Fountain). In Cividale, he helped in
the construction of Santa Maria dei Battuti.
He returned to Rome in 1560 to work on the third floor of the Logge Vaticane, and died in this
city in 1564.
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